Panacea
by dib07
Summary: The fires of the explosion have liberated and destroyed Sonic. Though alive, he gravely suffers, and once again it is up to the powers of friendship to find a way to save... or to kill him. Heart failure is incurable... or so they say.
1. Chapter 1 Sonic Liberated

**Chapter 1:** Sonic liberated

**Panacea warning: **

This is a **Teen** fanfiction so anyone under age DO NOT READ! This fic contains gore, angst and tragedy. If you in any way don't like Sonic angst or him being hurt in general, again **DO NOT READ.** Just turn away now and read something a lot more lighter. This entire fic is riddled with such, so this is the only warning you are going to get. Hence the **T **rating. There is also CPR which a lot of people are uncomfortable with and so on.

Panacea is in itself a bumpy ride. Things are bad at the beginning, are okay in the middle, then it gets really dark again towards the end.

You may ask why I did this to Sonic. Though I cannot answer this question directly as it'll spoil the entire series, let's just say there must be sacrifice for ultimate salvation and enlightenment. A mountain cannot be conquered in a day. A journey doesn't start until the first step is taken. Everything comes at a price. This will make sense to you eventually, but until then, that it your answer. There is a massive reason behind Panacea, and to make Sonic unique and different, this is his make-or-break story. There is a reason behind everything I do. Though there are no guarantees I can promise you, you are in for a ride. But there is light at the end of this dark tunnel. Or is there?

**_XXXXXXXXXXXXXX_**

_Oh what to do. What to do with a crying fox._

Knuckles was no baby sitter. In fact his emerald guarding duties had made him fit enough to be a warrior to serve Royal Acorn, but today, with the woes of autumn at their backs, was a sad day. Remorse was not something he liked to share. Things were different now, and even he struggled to hold back the tears.

"Tails, he's going to be fine, and you know it."

"H-How can you be so sure?"

"Because I know. And I believe in him. You should start too."

"Echidna… don't be so hard on the kid." Shadow warned in his soft, yielding tone.

Knuckles' fur bristled at the way he was addressed, but stopped short in a desire to retaliate when Tails burst into a fresh wave of inconsolable tears. Finding it completely alien to comfort another, Knuckles tried it anyway, and patted the young kitson's shoulder with a giant paw. For the time being, they stayed in a freshly built hut that was soon to be Shadow's new home. Having nowhere else to go, they decided to remain together in some form of shelter. But at least this one had a roof. Many houses and cottages were in the early stages of development, with everyone chipping in to help. Trees were cut down. Stone slabs hoisted on make-shift cranes. In less than a week, much progress had been done, with Princess Sally's home being the first to be almost completed. And it was just as well. Sonic really needed someplace warm right about now.

Truth was, Tails had seen everything when he wasn't supposed to have done. When Dulcy delivered Sonic to them, he had seen the wedge of metal struck fast in his brother's chest and the other assortment of injuries before Sally took him away. Still, those brief glimpses had traumatized the fox, and upon finally arriving from the Wayland Mountains, Knux felt like it was their job, at least for now, to calm and appease the upset fox in any way they could.

"I need to see him!" Tails demanded through his tears, "why are you keeping me here?"

"We're keeping you here because you can't see him yet!" Knuckles was waiting for Shadow to intervene and help out a little, and was sadly mistaken. Taken in by his own rue perhaps, or daydreaming about other things, Shadow was listlessly staring out the open window as the rain began to fall. The strident sunlight was fading fast, and Knuckles was afraid of what the night might bring. He sighed, and patted his bandaged leg. It had long ago stopped bleeding, the hole stitched up by himself and not trusting the novice doctor to do it for him. Living on his own enforced the echidna to do things himself, and not to depend on others. However, his wounded eye did need attending to by their canine physician called Mercier. Luckily his eye was bruised and swollen, with no long lasting damage. His eyelid however, would always remain scarred. Shadow had come out of it all reasonably okay. Thinner and weaker, but his wounds were already on the mend thanks to his extreme alien metabolism.

Autumn was a scurrying thing, a short season before winter blew into their world. The homes wouldn't be finished in time. Food would be hard, if not impossible to come by. Herria was a time for the Arbiters. A time for them to come out and slaughter all those weakened by the cold. The winter never held them back. It only made them more desperate for food.

"We should take Tails to see him." Shadow put in gently. Morosely.

Knuckles was staggered by his conclusion, and for a while didn't know what to say. He was uncertain about Shadow still, well, maybe just a little, and was mildly surprised at how the black hedgehog simply didn't go back and live in the Ark. What made Shadow remain? He was bolder for sure, remaining here and picking up on Mobian life very quickly.

"Not now, we need to be discussing food situations!" He ignored the blubbering fox, eyes solely on the black hedgehog, "what can you bring down from the Ark? Anything useful?"

"Of course. It's all overlander food, but I'm sure that once you animals have learned to open up packets, I'm sure you won't starve."

"Packets?"

"You know, like crisp packets." There was uncomfortable, awkward silence for a time. without taking his eyes from the window, he said, "what are you going to do about the Master Emerald?"

The large emerald was still buried under tons of rubble and mountain. A place he wasn't in a hurry to get to.

"It's not going anywhere, is it? Besides, I'm staying here for the same reasons you are."

"Just as well I stayed." Shadow returned, the echidna's statement not once catching him off guard. "Without me, he would have…" He put the brakes on, knowing that the twin-tailed fox was still in their presence.

**_~ Five hours ago ~_**

When Sonic was delivered to Sally by Dulcy, Shadow jumped off the dragon's back before Knuckles and ushered her into her recently erected home to get the blue hedgehog out of the elements. The wedge of metal had gone in deep, right in his sternum at a slight, left angle. It must have been pushed in by say, an explosion, and after being propelled by the force; Sonic may have actually landed on it, thus wedging it in even deeper. Working against time, Shadow warped to and from the Ark with medical equipment that the humans he once knew used to use. Though these efforts whittled down his already-spent energy at the Waylands, he spared nothing, and eased extreme painkilling drugs and breathing stimulants straight into the hedgehog's bloodstream. Keeping the little hog breathing through a human oxygen apparatus machine (which Sally was naturally suspicious of), they discussed their next move. Obviously the metal shrapnel, about the size of his ear, had to be removed. This of course, would bring serious consequences. Especially if the metal in question was longer inside him, and had penetrated his lungs, or worse. The bleeding too, already bad now, would also be immeasurable and profuse.

Being the only one knowing what he was talking about before the doctor or Knuckles arrived, Shadow slapped his suggestions down on the table. "If that bit of metal has hit his heart, we're in trouble. Removing it might kill him, maybe not now, but in minutes. Sally, in order to save him, we have to open up his chest."

"Are you fucking crazy?" She had been pulling at her hair, her arms and legs covered in hedgehog blood.

"You want me to save him or not? There are no other ways! I can't do it externally! And we have but one chaos emerald that might damage an already-damaged organ!"

"How would you do it?"

"By cutting through his ribcage."

She looked ready to faint then and there. But somehow, she found the strength and resolve to hold herself together. She had to. "Is there no other way?"

He shook his head. "I wish there was."

Ironically, the wedge of metal cruelly driven into the hedgehog's chest was in fact, the only thing keeping him alive. Through much of his life, Shadow couldn't remember the last time he had to make such a gut-wrenching decision.

It took time to set up all the necessary machinery, from the defibrillators and drips to the fluid suction machine designed to remove unwanted excess liquid. Sally brought in alcoholic solution and various other tools, her face almost as pale as Sonic's. The hedgehog himself was breathing, but it was just a faint, automated reflex that could be cut off at any time, despite the help from the machines. Blood relentlessly drizzled out of his mouth and nose; no matter how many times Sally tried to wipe it away.

Things got better when Knuckles arrived with his bandaged leg, and was all for Shadow's solution as well. She became hysterical from the impending shock, screaming and kicking, the echidna had to turf her out, locking the door as soon as he deposited her in the next room. Sonic's ribcage was strong, and Shadow guessed it would take them fifteen minutes to get through it.

"You don't know what you're doing!" Knuckles said as Shadow quickly rummaged through some books on basic surgery, "this isn't right!"

"Do you have a better idea?" Shadow said without looking up at him, turning pages as he sought for the right information, "all the surgeons are dead or haven't done this type of thing before."

"Well, you've never done this sort of thing before!" Knuckles said evenly.

Shadow gazed through the required information, drinking it all up as fast as he could before chucking the book over his shoulder in a _that'll-be-enough-attitude._

"As long as I live, I don't ever want to do this again." Knuckles shook his head and grabbed a sharp edge of the metal piece responsible for all this pain and anguish.

"Do it." Shadow barked throatily, "before we all lose our nerve. If you want any possible chance of Sonic surviving, I suggest you do it, _now_!"

The metal came out. Knuckles tried to ease it out to avoid further damage, and just as Shadow feared, the piece of metal was long. The blood erupted from his chest and Sonic's heart stopped.

Grabbing the sternum cutter, Knuckles started hacking into his ribcage, not having time to shave his fur at the location or wipe the area with alcoholic solution. With heavy persistence and strength, he got through in two minutes.

Shadow got straight to work, opened his ribcage wider and got the machines to drain the fluid out of his lungs while he located any damage, if there was any, in his heart. His suspicions were proven correct. The lower left ventricle had been damaged. He had but minutes to seal it back up again. And it had to be really good sealant, or else...

Knuckles pressed his back up against the cold wall. He was sweating and shivering. Sally was pounding on the other side of the door, screaming profanities and kicking with all her might. Through the swamp of his own panic and fear, Knuckles barely heard her.

"You got steady hands, Shadow? For such a delicate operation?" He swallowed thickly. Cool and calm, like an android, Shadow did his work with unfathomable patience, as if this was the norm.

"Yes, very steady. Don't worry. This is the easy part."

Knuckles swallowed again, inclined to ask what the hard part was, and didn't.

Like a professional surgeon, Shadow sealed up the hole and realigned the ribcage, nailing it back in place with metal pins that would have to be removed at a later date. Once everything was back in place, Shadow used the next human device, the defibrillators. These too, were alien, and Knuckles struggled to understand them. He watched Shadow ready the pads above the hedgehog's chest.

"Now comes the hard part."

After a click and a whine, the pads jolted to life through solar energy. Knuckles discerned the elder hedgehog place the pads once on Sonic's bloodied chest and then removed them instantly when the stab of electric stormed through the hedgehog's body.

"It's too much power!" Knuckles roared from against the wall.

"It has to be." Shadow didn't react to the seriousness in the echidna's panic-stricken voice, "in order to have a chance of bringing him back."

But if the damage was too great, despite Shadow's dire help….

Prostrated and feeling helpless to help his blue friend, Knuckles stood by the bed when Shadow shocked him again. The ECG machine picked up the faintest trace of a heartbeat, and at first Knuckles was too astounded to say anything. Then the trace was gone and Shadow re-strengthened his efforts. It had been a grueling time to coax their small, blue friend back to life. The trace was more persistent, and Shadow loaded his system with more drugs to combat his dropping blood pressure.

Of course, this little, invasive procedure had its risks. Infection, pericarditis and pneumonia. That's if Sonic lived past his first night. And none of them were sure he was going to live at all.

XXXXXXX

Livid and upset, Knuckles took his rage out on a new house he himself had just built. Ignoring the looks of others, he trashed the place, snapping into walls and hacking away at the roof, trying to rid himself of the bloodied images he had not long ago witnessed. "Why did it have to be him? He… he only wanted freedom. Why did Robotnik… how could… how could he be so cruel… Fuck!" He collapsed in the ruins of the house, paws battered and aching. "Fuck!" He leaned down into the mud, crying. This was not how things were supposed to be. "Sonic, why did you go alone? Why didn't you bring us with you?"

It had been a terrible day for all of them when the base had exploded. The clouds took a long time to disperse, and when it had, the sky was a deep satin red. As red as poppy flowers.

Knuckles, hoping to find fragments of the Master Emerald, had come limping to inspect the rubble, some of which had fallen down the mountains and formed a burning, hot rubbish heap at the bottom. Dulcy had arrived at the same time for news, hoping to report back good progress to the princess. Shortly after, it was Shadow who had found the injured hero in the rubble on the brink of death. No one knew how he survived the explosion in the first place, but he did murmur two words before passing out,_ 'The emerald.'_

Even now, Knuckles could still smell the hero's blood when it had soaked into his arms from holding him up for Dulcy to take. Shadow – being the most knowledgeable on saving him, had gone with her and rode on her back – this was the fastest way back. Meanwhile, Knuckles sat behind him, his leg too weak to run on. With the extra weight, it took awhile for Dulcy to take off, but when she had, her swiftness was better than running on foot.

Shadow found the echidna sobbing in the pile of wood, nails and roof tiles. Arms folded across his downy chest, the hedgehog summoned him a good, long stare. Then together they went to comfort Tails in Shadow's own shack of a home. And here they were, five hours later after surgery. Confused, lost and upset.

"I – I think he's going to be okay." Shadow spoke with underlying uncertainty. He was often very sure of himself and didn't speak unless he knew confidently what he was talking about. Knuckles safely assumed that the journey had changed him incredibly. For he was the one who had battled to save Sonic's life regardless of how they may have been towards one another in the past. Now it was his advanced medical supplies from the Ark that was keeping him breathing, if only barely.

"I hope so."

"Do you think he killed the Doctor?"

"I do."

Shadow bit his lip. If Sonic had survived, surely the forerunner had also? There had been no time to check, and even then, Shadow doubted that Dr. Robotnik had lived anyhow.

Tails walked over to the door, eyes red from crying so hard. "Guys, I have to see him. This isn't fair, I'm not six years old anymore!"

"You aren't ready…" Knuckles began, but Shadow cut him short.

"Are you sure?"

The fox nodded firmly.

* * *

><p><strong>Dib07:<strong> Morbid, no? Anyway, please review and let me know what you think, and if you think I should continue.


	2. Chapter 2 Forlorn

**Dib07: Well, I haven't been killed by my reviewers yet, so urm, hullo again! *ducks when a whole load of pillows are thrown***

**I must, must personally thank DC111 for giving me the precious gift of confidence for getting this story actually out here otherwise it would never be sent into the light for any reason, so DC111 - thank you. Even now I still battle myself to actually look at this story without hiding! Then again, after this chapter it gets a lot more lighter, so to speak. I think after chapter 5 it becomes even more plot driven. You'll see why soon.**

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**DanceDream: I want to PM you soooo badly! But I know you'll be here to see this message, so this is good enough! :D Your review was very sweet and I loved how honest you were! And you handled it very, very well - Cuz I'm overly sensitive, my brother calls me a wuss! You made me smile, and your comments are so sweet! Haha yes, Panacea sure is brutal! My worst indeed, nothing else comes close! Thanks for complimenting me on Knuckles and Shadow's charactarization (I can't spell!), I try to put myself in their shoes, feel how they feel, see how they see. Yes, they've fought Sonic in the past, but got to know each other so well, that in a way, it has defined their relationship. They are like brothers in arms when it comes to battles. And that's what I like about them. Plus they are honest with each other and see each other as worthy friends to depend upon if the need ever arises. Lol Shadow sure is no nonscensce! I think he scares Knuckles more times than nessessary because of his complex and systematic ways! Haha! Your comment is so true! When you said that Sally was screaming at the guys while they were saving his LIFE gave me a funny image made me laugh!**

**Interesting that you asked about the title, DanceDream. Panacea means: universal cure, remedy, wonder drug. Elixir. I hate to confuse you more, but it barely means anything for Sonic. It's a mystery! ^_^ XD Wait until the plot really sinks its teeth in, then you might see why!**

**Well DanceDream and Sonic, keep reading! It ain't over until the fat lady sings! Or... Shadow's equipment explodes... or... Sonic explodes... Jokes!**

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**Special thanks to DC111, DanceDream, Fire-Shiell, Bloom5902, DRKSuperSonic, Exploder and Qwisse and Sagapaga!**

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**Final note: The music I listened to while writing many parts of Panacea is a song called: Stella Maris by Moby on the album Destroyed. Hook it up on Youtube. You will NOT be disappointed and sets the scenes perfectly.**

**Sorry about such a huge chapter! They will shorten!**

**xxxxxxxxxxx**

**Panacea chapter 2: Forlorn**

They crossed the wet threshold of land and on towards Sally's home while the last rays of decaying sunlight made their shadows grow long and tall. Shadow walked behind them, his demeanor suddenly becoming shy and deeply sorrowful.

Knuckles tapped on Sally's door. "You know," Knux said quietly, scratching at his stitched eyelid, "Sonic is moderately lucky in regards to the explosion."

"How?" Sniped Shadow, already angry at the suggestion that Sonic had been lucky at all.

"Well, he still owns all of his body parts. Eyes intact. No shrapnel anywhere else. No missing limbs. Still has a tail…"

"So long as you discount his massive head injury and chest, yeah he's just fine. And keep your mouth shut! Tails is right here!"

While they stood, patience shared in limiting quantities, the door opened and a tired princess with anxious blue eyes smiled sadly at them.

"I could really use some visitors right now." Her voice almost cracked. "He's sleeping."

They entered on tiptoe, but it was easy to be silent anyway. The floor was grass as no floorboards had been installed yet. That had to be done quickly if they wanted to insulate the place against the coming cold.

The room, or rather, the hallway was wide and a little empty. A corner table sat to one side and there was a sack of coal slumped on the floor under it. The echidna could smell antiseptic in the air and some other strong medicine that he couldn't identify. The scents of medicine however was also tinted with the smell of fresh, coppery blood.

In the next room leading straight from the hall was the dining area and to one side, the fireplace and bedroom where Sonic lay sleeping. The fireplace was lit, and the embers cackled away merrily, making the room faintly glimmer red and gold.

Sally called the young kitson over. "Tails, do you have a moment?"

"Sure, Aunt Sally."

Following her into another room, the princess sat down on the cold grass. Seeing her do this, the fox followed suit. "Tails, this isn't easy for me to say this, but Sonic's been caught in the explosion at the Wayland Base. Knuckles may have already told you... and you, well... have seen..."" Tails remained dutifully silent, soaking up her every word, "he's been damaged severely. A few broken bones here and there, a few wounds that we've cleaned and bandaged…"

"It's okay, Sally. Just hurry up! I_ must_ see him! I'm family!"

She straightened and rubbed her eyes. "Yes, of course you are, Tails. You saw the solid object that went into his chest…" She knew she had to get the words past her lips, and it was so simple, yet she found it so hard to do. "It injured his… his heart. He might not make it… I'm sorry, Tails…"

"Oh... gosh..." Whispered Tails brokenly. Sally squeezed both his hands, and he fell into her, lost. Lost and very afraid.

**xxxxx**

Sitting on the chair by the bed, Knuckles winced at the pain emitting from his bad leg. The cut had been deep, almost to the bone. Sally had fixed it up using ground herbs to act as a sealant, then tied on some bandages using string to hold the gauze in place.

Too woeful, they hadn't seen him since the open heart surgery. And Shadow didn't look like he was ready too either. He hung by the window, furtive and despondent, not like his usual self at all. He even looked… horrified.

"He looks… good." Knuckles stated brokenly, voice webbed in sadness.

Shadow glanced over, arms crossed defensively. Sonic looked no better. He had been tucked up tight in bed, misshapen lumps under the quilts from all the numerous hot water bottles guarding him from the cold. The drip, ECG machine and the oxygen apparatus took up all the space on the left hand side of his bed. And all of it was either hissing or beeping with continuous noise as the machines struggled to keep Sonic alive. His muzzle was ashen white. Fur tattered and marred with blood. Bandages strapped round his chest and abdomen. Gauze had been wrapped tightly round the corner of his head so that it covered his right ear because of his skull fracture.

"He's going to get pericarditis." Shadow persisted, snapping back to the window again, "or something bad. He's already on anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics."

"I don't care. I just want him to get past this one. I want him to fight."

Sally came in holding Tails' hand. He had been crying again, that much was obvious. And when he reached Sonic's side, he didn't say a thing. He quietly took up a chair and buried his face against his warm, bandaged side. It looked like the kitson was in shock.

"No signs of waking yet, princess?" Knuckles inquired. He knew it was a little too soon to ask, surgery was what… barely six hours ago now?

Sally shook her head. "No sign of waking, at all. What do I do if and when he does?"

"No questions. None at all." Knuckles told her without hesitation, "and tempt him with some sugary water. If he takes that okay, medicine and then lukewarm oatmeal. If he can't manage all of it, that's fine. Just be there for him, and no sudden movements or loud noises. We need his heart to stay relaxed and settled, so keep him calm."

Shadow focused all of his strength to stare at the grass at his feet. It was better if Sonic stayed asleep for a while, as they didn't know what his reaction would be. "And the local doctor?" He asked solemnly without taking his eyes off the grass.

She rubbed petulantly at her sore eyes. "The new doctor said the obvious. Heart and lungs are both weak, but at least the internal bleeding has stopped. He has a concussion and a badly bruised stomach, so he may not be able to tolerate foods very well."

"You know that if he wakes and the good ol' doc comes to have a look at him, he'll panic, right?" Knuckles said.

"Well, what else do you suggest?" She asked, looking woefully confused.

"I implore that I be Sonic's doctor, because I for one might be able to do it without him noticing. Then he can't get upset!"

Sonic had always been afraid of doctors right from the start. Sally was both bemused and a little apprehensive at the echidna's sudden suggestion. "Can you learn? You can't be a doctor, just like that."

"Wrong." The emerald guardian said, wagging a paw, "I shall try. And I'll become a hedgehog doctor. Working on one species of animal will be so much easier."

**xxxxxxx**

In a clutch of inspiration, Knuckles went through a heavy tome called; 'Hedgehog Biology and Health by Prof. J.T Riger.' It was a rare volume now considering all or most other books had been burned when Knothole had been destroyed. The book in itself was old, but not out of date. It was loaded with pages and pages of annotations, diagrams, pictures of hedgehog anatomy and reams of written information. J.T Riger had been both a professor and a retired surgeon before he died of natural causes. The book was also coupled by adjourning notes done in scrawl and coffee mug stains.

Tails, having hardly moved, drew circles on the blankets. Often he picked up Sonic's limp hand and squeezed it tight, obviously trying to seek out a response. But there had been no such luck.

"Anything?" Shadow said as he paced. Sally had gone down to the kitchen to make them hot tea.

"Actually, there is something really interesting here," Knuckles coaxed him over with a gestured paw. Shadow took his time. "Here's a fact written by Riger. He claims that by stroking the very base of a hedgehog's neck back or front, it tricks the mind, and the subject always relaxes, no matter what state of mind they are in. Apparently it is an infantile reflex passed down through the generations. No one knows why they still have it; however the reflex remains from infanthood."

"Okay." Shadow said, obviously unimpressed, "but we need something a bit more useful than that."

"I know, I know!"

Knuckles got out the Ark stethoscope and plugged the listening pieces into his ears. Tails grabbed the book and flicked through the pages in fascination and thus tried to avoid watching Knuckles listen to Sonic's chest. Bored, restless, Shadow leaned against the wall, arms folded. Brow knitted tight. Barely ten minutes had passed when Knuckles stopped listening, put down the instrument that looked very similar to a white snake and lifted himself from the chair. Shadow noticed right away that his mood had change. Once affable and eager, a shadow had fallen upon his countenance, making him look tempered and abhorrent. As if he had just heard that the last of his kin were dead all over again. "Shadow," he said huskily, laboriously, "come outside with me. Let's take a walk. Just the two of us."

The dark hedgehog leaned forwards, puzzled. He saw all the warnings signs of hostility, and couldn't fathom why. Sonic's condition remained stable and unchanged. The blipping of the ECG monitor was a comfort. But Knuckles looked as though he had just seen death up close and personal.

"Fine." The elder said, trying to sound open and calm. He had nothing to hide and nothing to be ashamed of. "Lead the way. Tails, keep an eye on Sonic. Get Sally if you want. We'll be right outside."

**xxxxxx**

The evening was getting dark. Oil lanterns were strung up all over the untidy village full of unmade buildings and stacks of wood and stone. The light was plenty to see by, and they were also able to see early snowfall magically waver down from the somber heavens of old.

"What the hell is this about? It's cold out here!" Shadow tutted under his breath as he marched through the icy grass.

"Shadow, I don't know if you are aware of this, but you surgery you did could have injured him further. The ECG doesn't pick up on the heart murmurs, but it can be easily heard without a stupid stethoscope. Whatever you've done, you may have worsened it. There are irregularities and…"

"How could I have worsened it?" Shadow snapped round at once, gesturing out with his hand. "I can't believe you are accusing me! If it weren't for me, he'd be stone cold by now and we'd all be discussing on where best to bury him!"

"Okay!" Knuckles suddenly halted, teeth parting from his lips. He looked like he was waging a war within himself. "I know… I know you did a good thing. It's just that your inexperience hasn't fixed it!"

"What do you want me to do?" Shadow barked back, cheeks and eyes burning. He was mad. Furious. He had tried! "Open up his chest and try again? You're crazy if you think I have that luxury, because I do not! A second try is death!" Knuckles wavered where he stood. Head low. Fists poised dangerously beside him. Tears gleaming in tiny liquid droplets as they trailed down his nose and dripped down into the grass between his feet. They were illuminated by the twinkle of the lanterns burning bright. "It was too small." Shadow added regretfully, "you can't expect me to be a miracle worker. I was his best chance. I still am."

"I'm surprised he's still breathing." Knuckles enunciated darkly, teeth glittering through his tears, "you had no idea. Yet you thought you could help."

"Well, it's a bit late you telling me now! Besides, I distinctly remember you cowering against the wall." Shadow said snidely. The echidna's throttling swing of claws and fists was so quick that Shadow scarcely had time to jump out of the way. His lightening reflexes saved him from having his head knocked clear off. "Jesus Christ!" He yelled, dodging Knuckles' next brutal charge by jumping completely over him with a flip of his hind legs.

Knuckles angled himself round, launching his fists like a feral tiger. And he came again. "I don't know if I should thank you, or hate you!"

"You blasted, ungrateful creature!" Shadow sprung back, waited for the echidna to throw an empty punch before leveling him with a jaw-breaking kick. The echidna stalled and hobbled down to lay paws on his hurting leg. Even his ravaged eyelid was bleeding afresh. "I've been watching Sonic's back since the Victory! I could have killed him and handed him over to Eggman for my own insurance! Would have made my life a lot easier too. But I'm no double-crosser, and I sure as hell am not a fucking coward unwilling to TRY!" He aimed another blow, and the cup of his heel caught the echidna's collarbone. Growling, Knuckles drew back, all of his sharp teeth exposed. "And this is how you thank me, echidna? After bringing down all that equipment from the Ark?"

"You… you still HURT him!" Knuckles roared, slamming his fist into the ground.

"What did you want me to do? Let him die with or without that bit of metal stuck in his ribcage? Should I have done nothing? Is that what you wanted me to do?"

Knuckles lurched upright and reengaged the black hedgehog. However, Shadow had warped behind him as soon as the echidna powered towards him, thrashing air instead of flesh.

"Should I have euthanized him?"

"No!" Seeing everything as futile, Knuckles collapsed into the frosty grass and dirt, shivering. The snow continued to blissfully fall, creating a serene, despondent backdrop against their sharp profiles. "N-No… no…"

"If things continue to be this bad, that may be our only option. That… or if a heart attack finishes him off."

"Shadow… don't… please…"

"If you want me to fix what I have done, echidna. There will be no more pain. Sonic won't feel a thing. He'll go in his sleep."

"DON'T!" Knuckles rose, trembling to his feet, swaying in the snowy breeze, dreads flapping rapidly against his chest. "Or you'll know nothing but my wrath! I will slaughter you!"

"K-Knuckles…" Shadow managed, as if saying the echidna's name was a real struggle. "What I've done is kept him alive. If only for a while. We have to come up with something else. A more permanent solution. Please, work with me."

Knuckles shook his head, body trembling from rage. "Don't tell him… if he wakes... and don't tell Sally. You cope with your guilt, while I cope with mine."

Shadow watched him leave. The snow came down in peaceful tendrils. It all felt so… forlorn.

**xxxxx**

With Tails distracted with the book in the next room, Sally was in the kitchen, preparing medicine.

Alone with a very ill hedgehog, Shadow squeezed his hand tight, displeased at the way Sonic desperately wheezed through the mask. Shadow rested a hand upon his chest to feel it awkwardly try to rise, only to fall way too quickly. Even with the great help of the apparatus, Sonic's breathing was still diminishing. Shadow felt hopeless and impotent, sitting here, unable to help Sonic fight. Here he lay… dying right beside him.

Furtively, he looked up to make sure Sally was still busy in the kitchen.

One thing he could try and do was to communicate telepathically with him. Something he had never tried. And something that could potentially hurt Sonic more unless he was very careful how he went about it. If he accessed his mind, he could calm Sonic right down, and remind him that he wasn't alone. That he was safe. They all were. And that he needed to wake up to take medicine.

Linking himself with the far-off energies of a chaos emerald that he didn't really need, but helped him access Sonic faster as he himself had never done anything like this before, he probed gently into Sonic's mind. Slow and steady so as not to frighten the sleeping hedgehog or in case he pushed him deeper into a coma, Shadow linked himself in seconds. However, much to his baffling surprise, he came upon an unyielding wall. Sonic's mind was like a castle that repelled his touch so fiercely that Shadow was thrown back out before he had time to settle and feel how Sonic felt. Not one for giving up, Shadow rubbed the blue hedgehog's sore chest, cuddling him gently before retrying. This time he was even slower, and went to mentally speak before such links could connect.

'_Sonic, I am here. You're safe. I promise. Nothing is going to harm you.'_

There it was again, a blunt force rebelling his touch and mind link with fearful violence. Emotions were strung out all over the place. It was like trying to capture a terrified, wild deer.

Shadow probed again, reinforcing his intrusion with appeasing reassurance. Comfort. To ease that mind open and see where he was hurting. Sonic was wrapped up within himself. Scared. Still thinking he was under attack. The walls started to crumble.

'_Please, Quickster, it's me. Easy. It's only me.'_

The walls were falling. He could feel Sonic through the failing barrier, but he wasn't hasty. This would only encourage the walls to slam back in place, cutting him off with sharp recoil. He could not risk it.

And there he was, in pain and greatly terrified. Spikes of agony grew all around, like vengeful tumors. They pushed back help because the pain was too much. Everything was a threat. Shadow cooed to him while soothing back the leaping hurt. In a way he was cradling his mind and body in his. Protecting him from the pestering darkness. Keeping him safe from the night. The screams of terror and agony subsided. The spikes were worn away.

'_Remember me. Remember this. Do not fear me. I can take the pain away.'_

With this amazing connection, Shadow truly felt one with him. He could feel Sonic's body working all around him. He had the power to go one step further, however this was potentially lethal. He hadn't mastered this art at all, wasn't even a novice at it, and if he tried to help, he might just end up making things worse.

No, not today. He wouldn't invade his body further, taking over a job that wasn't his. Right now his organs were doing all they could to survive, and he didn't want to upset that.

He regretfully pulled out of Sonic's mind, glad that he had managed to get through to him, and thus doing so had done some good for the tired hedgehog. Shadow sighed worrisomely and stroked the place he had done the surgery, feeling the pads monitoring Sonic's heart and lungs. At least he was warm and comfortable.

"I'm sorry you're like this… I'm sorry."

Sonic's good ear twitched and the methodical rhythm on the ECG machine picked up speed. Shadow, alert and tense, looked up at him, eyes wide. His suspicions were realized when he saw his little blue friend begin to open his watery eyes. Shadow almost caved into panic. He wanted to shout for Sally, but the very noise might startle Sonic to death.

"Hey," he whispered, barely able to keep the strangled fear out of his own voice, "it's me… Shadow. I'm here."

An ear-splitting cough raked the Ultimate Life Form's ears. Sonic tried to lift his heavy eyelids higher, a task obviously too hard to accomplish. His wheezing grew much more profound than before.

Shadow glanced round behind him. "Princess!" He admonished, ears back, "come out here! Now!"

He heard her break a glass mug in the other room. The stricken sound did just what Shadow didn't want. Sonic's eyes opened wider, his breathing rapid and shallow. Heart rate accelerating too dangerously.

Shadow wrapped an arm around him just as Sally came rushing in, another mug in her hands. "Oh dear Dowa!" She cried, almost tripping up on the rug. She deposited the mug on the nightstand and cupped her baby's cheeks in her hands. "Sonic, hey it's me! Everything's going to be all right!"

While she had him distracted, Shadow tore himself away (knocking his chair over in the progress) to grab the perfect syringe for the job – the one he had been waiting to use. In a way it would work like a paralyzing drug, numbing Sonic's pain while doing so gently with no harmful toxins. It would also calm his body without taking away vital adrenaline. It contained proteins, vitamins and a general boost for his system.

Pricking the needle into the I.V, he injected it into Sonic's bloodstream easily, knowing that he would need to give the hedgehog another powerful heart booster shot in less than two hours. This would keep his weakening heart beating. Too much of the drug could change its rhythm, however too little and he'd flat line without any prior warning.

"…Sal…" He kept gulping. Probably to swallow down the blood lurching up his throat. "Hi S-Sal…"

_Thank God he's recognizing her._ Shadow thought with stiff alarm, ready for anything. It was just him and Sally here. If something should happen…

"I'm here baby, I'm here. You're safe now. You're home." Sally nuzzled his nose – or would have – if not for the plastic mask cupping his facial features. Sonic tried to wrinkle out a smile, but the blood ran up his throat and down his chin, causing him to cough hard.

"It's okay," Shadow said, coming forwards and scooping Sonic's flaccid body into his arms, "he's had a lot of internal bleeding. It's stopped, but there's still quite a bit of discharge." He leaned Sonic forward, minding the tubes and wires and especially his stomach that was blackened with bruises. They hadn't even tried feeding him yet. That would be interesting.

Easing off his mask, Shadow ran a hand along his back spines, patting him firmly. Thanks to the new position instead of lying stuck on his back like a turtle, Sonic coughed and hacked into a provided basin.

Not wishing to leave Sonic conscious too long without some kind of nourishing liquid inside of him, Shadow motioned to bring the mug over. "Where is that echidna doctor when you need him?" He asked, unable to drown the annoyance out of his voice. Right now, Sonic was conscious for the first time, and things were going almost too well so far. Maybe it was due to the mind connection that had so soothed his shock.

After helping him bring up more cherry colored blood from his chest, they leaned him back while Sally tipped some warm herbal medicine towards his reddened lips. "Drink, baby…" It was a cracked whisper, a forceful one. Those two words filled with so much heartbreak and stress. He _had_ to drink. He had to.

Shadow was not one for strokes and cuddles, but instinct applied him to make an effort. Sonic probably didn't even know he was sitting right here next to him. He was focusing on Sally some of the time, eyelids closing and opening, sometimes looking over at the far wall as if it had developed a great interest to him.

Sally dipped the mug forwards ever so slightly, unable to hide the pride and relief on her face as Sonic timidly swallowed down the medicine.

Less than seven hours ago, he had just had major heart surgery. Now here he was, conscious, talking and drinking down vital medicine. And by now the pain relief should have kicked in, ensuring that no agony could upset him.

"That's it!" Sally encouraged, fresh tears running from her eyes, "nearly done! Just a little more!"

"That's plenty, Princess," Shadow gently warned her, "too much and it'll hurt his stomach. We can't afford him to purge it out of his system."

She almost scowled at this bit of information. She barely trusted Shadow as it was, however, she had little choice but to trust him. It had been the Ultimate Life Form after all that had brought down all these human, life-saving devices to keep Sonic just above the surface.

"Okay." She was full of reluctance. She took the mug away and rested it back on the nightstand. Sonic meanwhile was falling back to sleep as they knew he would eventually. He hadn't much energy to do much else but sleep. Everything else was working hard on keeping his body running.

Sonic looked down to see a tube coming out of his bandaged chest. He freaked. "Where is dere a tube in m-ma chest?"

"Calm down." Shadow snapped a little too sternly, "that's there just to drain fluids. That's all."

"But... m-my body is already full of f-fluids!" He said, curiously tapping on the tube. "And my quills feel flat..."

"That's because you've been lying on them for seven hours." Shadow said with a slight smile.

Sally grinned and cuddled him gently. "You are so strong!" She said. "You keep amazing me!"

Minutes later, they watched him rest easy on the diaphanous pillow, eyelids drawing shut, awkward breathing soothed by reconnecting the oxygen mask. The fast, fluttery blips of the ECG machine steadied and slowed.

"H-How long until the booster?" The princess asked, never taking her eyes of her partner. It was sadly ironic how the blue hedgehog's system depended upon this drug despite what they had done to help and the hedgehog's own will to survive.

"An hour and a half, give or take."

"How long will he have to be on it for?"

"Not very long." He lied. Sally was dealing with enough pain right now. The truth would have to wait. "Sonic has really surprised me today. Not long after surgery and he is was mentally active, and happy in himself more or less. I am awed. And if that's the case, we all have hope. He is stronger even... than me."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Dib07:<strong> Okay, that's it for now. Lol was the chapter too long?_

_Let me know if you want anymore. And thanks for reading. No flames please. ^_^ It is annoying that Sonic wasn't up for very long at all, but don't worry, there will be more interaction from him soon! And their solutions en such. Shadow was so much fun to write in this chapter. Loved his sentence '''Well, it's a bit late you telling me now! Besides, I distinctly remember you cowering against the wall." Ah, so him! Plus I really enjoyed writing the telepathy scene. XD_

_DC111 you want Sonic's perspective, and you will get it shortly. And yes he is going to stay one-hundred percent IN character I am proud to say! Wasn't easy, but it is indeed something I am proud of! Plus there is going to be more Tails in the next chapter or so. I had to get all the Knuckles and Shadow stuff out the way first. I had no idea Panacea contained so much detail! And it gets a lot happier. This was the last depressing chapter. For now._


	3. Chapter 3 Confessions

**Dib07: Your reviews have been so supportive, and because of you all, I think this story can really shine. Keep in mind that Panacea is VERY plot driven. I don't hurt Sonic for the sake of it. Everything is bound in meaning. I can't emphasize this enough. This may sound confusing. Haven't I just slammed the last nail in Sonic's coffin? Keep tuned. And I told ya this story is a bumpy ride! XD**

**xxxxxx**

**DanceDream: Your reviews are always funny, to the point and honest! It's really sweet of you that you always take the time to write an awesome review. Right, question time. Their ages in Panacea? Tails is 12, Sonic 18, Shadow 64, Knuckles 24, Sally 22. I think that is everybody. Yes, their ages differ greatly in all things Sega, but those are their ages in my Series.**

**My stories are unique and weren't inspired by Archie Comic 175. Panacea is an old story that I completed some 4 years ago. Archie obviously had the same idea at the time of destroying Knothole.**

**Yes, euthanasia is VERY wrong. And was the worst possible thing Shadow could say. He used it to shock and scare Knuckles, to implore the severity of the situation and make him stop fighting him. It was a joker in the deck of cards. And Shadow can be cruelly blunt like that. But no way was he going to use it in practise. He was angry at Knuckles. And wanted to hurt him. Shadow always shocks me too. I may write, but he speaks, and that was the whole point, the whole 'shock factor.'**

**''Well, Sonic sure could use a wonder drug right about now, so if you say it doesn't really apply to him, then you've got me goin' O.o! '''**

**Good! Panacea is full of surprises, and I hold my ground when 'panacea aka wonder drug' means nothing, as such things don't exist! So you'll have to keep reading to find out what exactly it implies! ^_^ Thanks very much for your thoughts and opinions! Lemme know what you think of this one! XD**

**xxxxxxx**

**Chapter 3: Confessions**

"I think Faux Forest is a good, safe place." The echidna was leaning against the wooden wall of Sally's new home that he himself had crafted. In fact it was he who had made all the woodwork, including the roof, tables and chairs. "Our enemies will struggle to find this place, so long as no one trades for awhile."

"It's a lot to sacrifice, but we'll have to. There is nowhere else large enough to accommodate all the villagers," Sally returned, putting down her cup of tea and wrapping her jacket tighter about herself against the chill in the room, "and we can't move Sonic. Not for a long while."

Tails came in carrying a heavy basket of freshly picked berries. He was grinning from ear to ear. "Look at what I gathered!" He boasted right away, even more pleased when they smiled at his offerings, "this forest sure is bountiful when it comes to natural foods, huh?"

"You did good, honey." Sally picked up the basket and took it with her to the sink to start washing them. "Tails, can you cut the stalks off for me, and any leaves?"

"Sure!"

While the princess and kid were distracted, Shadow gestured for Knuckles to come over into the bedroom where the machines were loudest.

"Any more research you've done on your doctor-side?" The elder hedgehog's tone was dead serious. "You need to evaluate him. My computers can only do so much in diagnosing his condition. Well?"

Knuckles threw his paws up in mock surrender, "okay, okay! I've been reading! I have!" He added when Shadow folded his arms at him, "it's just a darn lot to take in all at once!"

"You do know how serious his condition is, right?" Shadow whispered in retort, mind focused on the equipment. "He won't make it to see the spring. He's too weak."

"Shadow, he's survived the first night. Sally's doing a fine job keeping him warm and stable. I say he's a breathing miracle already. I don't know how he does it, but he does. He does."

Shadow paused, uncertain of himself. Maybe the echidna was right… Sonic had an iron will to live. His spirit was at times stronger than his own.

"Urm… Shadow… change of topic here…" The echidna began hesitantly. Shadow, curious as to what could possibly stall Knuckles this much, turned round and glared at him. "Do you think he killed Dr. Robotnik? It was certainly all planned. I can tell. Knothole was vulnerable when we left it. Outcast found us, and told us where to find the overlander. It was all planned, right from the start. Eggman wanted to take Sonic with him, and he almost has."

"Robotnik may be dead. Nothing else could have survived that blast. He only just made it out because some rocks and the emerald shielded him from blowing him to kingdom come. Besides, does it really matter right now?"

Sally came into the room and planted a small kiss on Knuckles' cheek. The instant it was made, the echidna's face went an even brighter shade of red than his fur. "Thank you, my guardian. Thank you so much. I never had time to fully appreciate what you've done for him because of all the panic we shared yesterday. And you both looked after him the whole way to the Waylands. Even now Knuckles, you remain here, helping him, even putting him before your task of gathering up the Master Emerald. Nothing in the whole of Mobius can repay you for your kindness."

"And even if there was, I wouldn't accept it. Let's just hope Sonic pulls through. I'll leave you now. You look like you could use some sleep! Just remember to light your lantern if ever you need me." Knuckles reminded her.

**xxxx**

Knuckles conferred with Shadow for a few moments at the doorway of her home, catching him alone before they headed out. "Shadow, I need to thank you for all the things you've done. And I apologize for having such a go at you. You sacrificed yourself… well… could have done, if you had followed through with Eggman's plans and decided to terminate Sonic. And believe it or not, Sonic is getting marginally better, thanks to the meds. So… thanks again..."

Shadow stood there awkwardly as if he were up for a presentation at a council meeting. He had never been very good at expressing himself. "Funny you should mention this now." He replied in a deadpan tone.

"W-Why?"

"Maybe… maybe I should have done it… killed him." He locked onto the empty timber frames of half finished huts before him, unblinking.

"Are you nuts?" Knuckles cried, the sudden tension making his bandaged leg burn in pain, "what the hell, Shadow? We… we discussed this! You are… we are not…"

"…To save him from this agony he's in now…"

"You shouldn't say things like that! Holy Gods! Don't you dare…!" The anger slammed back into his eyes.

"I shouldn't have done the surgery. I regret it."

"You bastard!"

Without a further word, Shadow headed out into the gloomy morning without turning back. Knuckles hung in the doorway, one paw massaging his wounded leg, eyes narrowed. The dawn light gleamed across his lurching teeth. Had he caused Shadow's regret?

**xxxx**

Sonic's vitals on the other hand were getting much better considering how they had almost lost him. He wasn't keen on waking up to the ECG machine either, and he hated the medicine he had to have. The shots he didn't know about yet, as much of the time Shadow gave the daily injections when he was fast asleep.

Tails was always by his side, even when he was supposed to be in his own home to rest when darkness came.

"I am _so_ supposed to be dead, right? Or is this a r-really good dream?" Sonic struggled to sit up upon awakening, way more alert than all the previous times, and failed to adjust himself, so he remained slumped on the headboard, holding his head.

"Hey, brother!" Tails said tearfully, squeezing his hand so tightly that it hurt the hedgehog a little. "I would bombard you in hugs, but Sally said I'm not allowed. It would be too uncomfortable for you." He subtly wiped at his eyes in evident haste.

"Hugs… u-uncomfortable?" Sonic looked confused, then his gaze dropped down to the tubes. "Oh yeah. Man, can't believe I survived. I am luck embodied! Have I s-survived?"

"Survived?" He asked, his two tails swaying in obvious excitement at seeing him awake, having time with him _and_ talking to him. However, many moments gave him a fresh wave of despair and he struggled to hold back the tears.

"Oh yeah… there's was some kind of fire… Master Emeralds… explosions. Something like that. I'm not dreaming… am I little buddy?"

"No. Don't worry. You're alive, I promise! I am angry at you though."

"Angry… a-at me?" He asked. "And could you please shut that blipping machine up? It's giving me a headache, Tails! What the hell is it, even?"

"I know you don't like overlander equipment, but it's necessary. Anyway, listen to me for a minute. I don't want you rushing off again. Not without telling me first. That was a very cruel thing you did, leaving me to go to the Wayland Mountains without even saying goodbye."

"Ooh… I did t-that?"

Tails nodded. "Yup."

"Sorry, b-bud. Ya gotta understand… it was… ah man it hurts to remember. This room looks different too, I n-noticed."

"Wow, some apology!" Tails laughed as mirthfully as he could, "you're forgiven though." He looked away, unable to control the tears.

"Tails?" Sonic leaned forwards. His own acute tiredness and drowsy drug-filled state made him fail to notice the mask so much, but he did feel the tug and pull of the IV line and various other pads and wires. "Hey, look at m-me..." Tails did so, albiet unwillingly. "Gee, you should be used to me being bandaged up. Fighting evil is a risky affair. Are t-those tears?" A shy nod. Sonic looked down at his bandages but could see nothing that explained why Tails was so upset. "Hey, lil' b-bro... I'll get out once I unhook myself and then we can t-talk..." He came down in heavy coughs that made his eyes water. Tails rose up a little from his seat to give Sonic a soft backrub.

"You can't leave the bed, Sonic. You aren't allowed."

"Says who? Nobody is the boss of me!"

"Oh really?" Sally came in with a tray of hot food.

"Sal!" He coughed, "you l-look a mess!" _Has she been crying too? _He thought for a wild moment.

"Not as bad as you. Tails," she turned towards him regretfully, "you better go get some rest back at your place. You don't want to see this hedgehog make a mess of his lunch."

"Well, it doesn't help that it is slop." Sonic said, eyeing up the food just out of his reach.

Tails pecked Sonic on the forehead with a light kiss and reluctantly left the room.

With a soft smile, Sally gently put the bowl and tray on the nightstand by an army of medicine bottles. He grinned back at her. "So, this isn't… K-Knothole…?"

"No sweetie." She had told him gently.

Gently she eased herself on the bed beside him and sat him up, as he had no strength to do so himself. She pushed the pillows up and got him leaning back into them. Finally laying a towel over his lap, she eased the tray on a swing-out table and moved it into position over his legs and took off his mask. "It got ravaged by droids. We're in a place called Faux Forest now, where it'll be our home. Maybe not forever, but a home for the moment."

"So… how did I g-get here?"

She smiled and dipped the spoon into the bowl of soup. "You should really be concentrating on eating, honey! Or it'll go cold!" On that note, she plopped a spoon load into his open mouth. He chewed and swallowed as if the task was a sheer nuisance.

"Well, aren't ya g-gonna t-…"

"Knuckles, Shadow and Dulcy got you here just fine. Everything that was left got destroyed. Everything. Now open up, I'm far from done."

"How long was I asleep for?"

"A few days." She got another spoonful into him.

"Why am I covered in bandages, S-Sal?"

"You got hurt…" She lowered her eyes, knowing at some point she'd have to tell him why he had a scar the exact shape for an incision down the length of his chest. At the moment the bandages would hide it, but he needed a bath when he was stronger, and changing the bandages while he was asleep all the time wouldn't last forever either. "But you're safe now. Safe with me. Now open up, you have a lot of soup to get through! You're making it dribble down your chin!"

"Tastes good by the way, for invalid stuff. How long am I g-gonna be cooped up in bed anyways, Sal? A few days? A week at most?"

"I knew this question was coming." She rolled her eyes, yet still retained her smile. "Eat!"

Sonic did as he was told, enjoying the hot meal and its ardent flavor. There was however, a deep sadness that tangled Sally, and he couldn't put his finger on it. Had something happened while he had been out of action? And if so… what? Why wouldn't she tell him? While he was pondering this, he said with a smile gracing his lips, "and you're pregnant!"

"Yes! And our baby won't be as sloppy as you with food!" She returned, equally delighted. They rubbed noses, and then she promptly went back to feeding him.

Meanwhile, Knuckles was crunching through the frosted grass in the darkness. Even he was wearing a thick, wooly coat to shield him from the worst of the cold. He was used to brittle winters, but it still didn't stop him from buying a luxury coat from the sheep that worked up at Nutley Farm.

Ready to exchange the bad news, Knuckles stopped when he came to the bedroom window that illuminated a square of yellow warmth on the snow just outside. It was nearing midnight, and peered in to make sure everything was all right. What he saw touched him deeply. Sally was feeding a very bruised, bandaged hedgehog who had been sat up in bed, still fully wired with tubes and lines. The ECG traces were so loud; he could hear them out here through the glass in the windows. They were so happy together, in that special moment. Sonic wasn't in pain at all, a rarity. He was giggling and smiling back at his loving partner, despite the food being squandered down his pale chin. To go and tell Sonic now would hurt him too much. It was too soon. Way too soon. Sally would know by morning regardless, and then she could make the decision herself when to tell him.

Knuckles walked away that night, tears escaping his eyes. Never in his life had he been so lost and devastated.

**xxxxx**

"Sonic?"

"What is it, Rad Red?"

Knuckles stood in the doorway ready to face his biggest challenge yet. He was no coward. His ancestral kind had seen it fit to topple mountains. Overcome vastly larger foes, and strive to win out against all conquest. Today, the emerald guardian felt like running away. Being a coward was a damn sight easier. But Sonic… Sonic deserved more. He deserved the truth, even if it meant destroying him from the inside as well as the outside.

Just within earshot but invisible from Sonic's angle, Sally clung to the doorframe in the next room, silently encouraging Knuckles onward.

Unaware of the severity of the situation, Sonic had been propped up in bed looking for all the world like a strung up doll by the way the wires and tubes hung and curled everywhere, sometimes in disheveled piles at the floor by his bed. His eyes were ringed in black circles, his muzzle and the pinks of his ears all deathly white. Despite his amazing progress over the last few days, he looked terrible.

"You sure look snug in those blankets, True Blue. Warm enough?"

"Plenty, thanks. Wanna join me?"

"Heh. I see your speech has improved and your terrible, terrible humor. What about your other fine and gross motor skills? Can you move your hands and feet okay? No delayed reactions or double vision?"

"No, none at all. I can't walk though."

"Don't start. It's still far too early for you to be trying that."

"Like my gear?" He asked with a stretching smile, pointing vaguely at the tires and drip. "Did Shadow bring me all this?"

"Course he did. He loves you so much."

After a short, coughing chuckle, he added in a light tone, "you look worried. What's eating ya?"

Feeling like a stranger, Knuckles took up a chair and deposited it by Sonic's bedside. He sat on it, eyes downcast.

"You remember much about the Wayland Mountains? The explosion? Ro… Robotnik?"

"I… I don't…" He honestly looked perplexed. "I only remember going there. And that Sal was pregnant. I remember Outcast. And that's about all. Sal informed me that the mountain exploded while I was still inside Eggman's base. Is… is Robotnik dead?" Knuckles looked at him meekly, mouth opening but no words issuing forth. Exasperated, Sonic tried again, "did you find a body? Anything?"

"No. Nothing." The guardian said at last, shaking his head and allowing his long dreads to sway in time with the movements. "Honestly, at the time we were more concerned with you."

Ears pricked forwards, Sonic was not letting the subject drop. "Can't ya go and look now? Just to check?"

"In the mountains?" Knuckles asked jokingly, finding it hard to take Sonic seriously, "it's too late. By now the snow that far north would already have fallen, burying any and all rubble along with any corpses. Even if it won't, some Arbiter may have picked it up. I'm sorry, Blue. If it's any contemplation, I'm sure the overlander couldn't have survived. You were lucky. He on the other hand would have been blown to bits. You have my word." Sonic looked less than impressed with this answer and sagged where he sat. "Blue, there's something I have to tell you. I can't keep it in any longer."

Sonic gazed at him with new perplexity. "Knux?"

"Something happened…"

"It's not ma legs, issit?" He spluttered it out so fast that Knuckles struggled to comprehend what he had tried to ask. When he had, the echidna shook his head. "Good. So long as I can run…"

"Sonic," he said sternly, eyes glassy and bold, "a piece of metal penetrated your sternum. It's okay, we removed it." He reached for the hedgehog's ungloved hand that lay unmoving on top of the blankets and gripped it tight. "But it did some damage, I regret to inform you. You've… you've got heart failure."

It seemed to go right over the hedgehog's head. He stared while Knuckles lowered his nose towards the bed sheets, too afraid to look up and see what would be in his eyes.

"Is… is it t-terminal?" Sonic asked through the oval mask, swallowing heavily.

"Yes. There is no cure. I'm sorry."

"But… but I feel f-fine! It's a joke, right? Well, ya got me pal. You got me good!"

Knuckles looked up at him then, almost too rueful to say. "It's no joke. I wish it was. The reason you feel resonably okay is because you're hooked up to all these machines and you're medicated. In a big way. I'm sorry."

Leaving Sonic alone in that room, Knuckles went to Sally who was waiting by the kitchen counter. "It's done. I told him."

"How did he react?"

"Better than I hoped. In the meantime, Shadow and I will hunt for a solution."

"But heart failure is incurable..."

"Don't worry, we'll find a cure. And if nothing we have here works, I have something else as a last resort, just in case." He ended cryptically with a confident smile. Before Sally could raise her muzzle to ask what he meant, the echidna was already out the door and into the early winter winds.

* * *

><p><strong>Dib07<strong>: I apoligize for such long chapters! I tried slashing things out, but everything had importance, so I couldn't rip out vital stuff. Chapter 4 is soley on Sonic and his view.

Anyways, please comment. I would like to hear what you readers think!


	4. Chapter 4 A Hedgehog Moment

Dib07: Ooh yeah, another chapter. This one is a lot lighter hearted compared to many. And yeah, some more Sonic and Tails. Again, your reviews have been a massive inspiration! This chapter was tough to write in terms of general stuff. So many things to include all in one chapter. I had to slice things out, shape it up until what it is today. Am I allowed to say that Sonic is a right fruitcake to write sometimes? Tails had to be rewritten. He was too OOC for me. And that's about it. But anyways, enjoy the tranquility of this chapter while it lasts! *evil laughter*

**DanceDream:** Lol you like SonAmy? Well, since he's dying he won't be able to maintain any relationship, :p, so your hopes aren't scattered! Yeah. Shadow is an insane meanie. He's catch-22, he wants to do Sonic a horrid, horrid favor by ending it, but he's also been the one keeping him alive all this time. So the pressure is on him in a way. Hmm, so you think Sonic's gonna make it huh? I love your faith. You and DC111 are gonna be in for a shock…

LOL Knuckles and Shadow sure are over their heads. I think that's why they're so worried… XD

And you think Sonic's in for a heart attack huh? Flip a coin and call it! XD

All jokes aside, your comments, (you and your co-reviewer XD) mean a lot to me!

P.S. Hoping to update, ''ll be Right Here,' soon, so busy with Crossroads at the moment!

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**Chapter 4: A Hedgehog Moment**

Sonic awoke like he did on many a day, and lay quietly, listening to the whirr of machinery and the blips echoing his heartbeats. Sometimes he fell back to sleep listening to the rhythms. On other occasions, the incessant sounds irked him. It always reminded him in its sparse echoes of what he had.

He turned his head to the left, feeling the faint tug of the apparatus pull against the breathing mask. On the nightstand was a gorgeous array of freshly picked flowers in a brightly colored red vase. He lay there, looking at it with watery eyes, admiring the beauty of the bouquet of reds, whites and purples.

"Tails got those for you. He's always constantly gathering."

"I thought I could smell echidna." Sonic said with a tired chuckle, turning his head to the right to lay eyes on Knuckles standing beside his bed. "How long have you been here for?"

"Five hours. We look after you in turn."

"I'm not an infant." Sonic said, rising to sit up.

"Don't care. You're never, ever left alone."

Sonic looked up at him through hazy eyes. After they blurred in and out of focus, he saw something long and white dangle from the echidna's shoulders. He knew by now what it was and pulled a face at it. "Hey, help me out of bed, old girl?"

"That is a strict no-no." Sonic felt the bed sag a little when the guardian sat down beside him. "So Blue, how are you feeling?"

"Okay… considering." He said with a tight smile. "Laying in bed all day sure gets boring."

"Sonic," Knuckles said, his voice quickly becoming stern and resolute, "that's not what I asked. How are you feeling?"

Sonic shifted himself into a sitting position and went to ease the pillows into place behind him when Knuckles did it for him. "Red… I understand what you said… what I have… but the chaos emeralds… all seven of them. They would work!"

"Theoretically, yes. All seven, once combined would hopefully heal all your… impurities, including your scarred side once turned Super. However… we would have trouble locating them all. May I?" He asked when he gingerly touched Sonic's forehead for permission to examine him.

"Only… be gentle." He still looked fearful when Knuckles approached him this way. But he still preferred him to a real doctor any day.

"There simply isn't enough time to collect them all. Shadow would need to do it. He can teleport and track down their signature power output, but let's face facts…" He removed the mask, something Sonic found unpleasant. Without the glorious aid of the mask, breathing quickly became a chore, and the coughs were untamable. "…we only have one emerald. Some of their locations are unknown, and are sure to be guarded jealously. Taking them would start a civil war on many factions."

"So… it's unrealistic?"

"Precisely, Blue. Now, how are you feeling? I'm getting fed up of asking you this when I don't get a proper answer." He lifted up Sonic's top lip to inspect the color of his gums. Sonic winced and tried to draw away. Opening his jaw up wider, he peered down his throat, pleased to see no inflammation. Satisfied, he closed Sonic's jaw and reequipped him with the mask.

"S-Sore…"

"Ah huh. What else?"

Sonic watched him unhook the white snake from around his shoulders. "Please… don't use that!" He squeaked.

"Blue, it's not going to hurt. I'm just going to have a listen. I'll be as quick as I can. Come on, Sonic. I care about you."

"It feels cold…"

"Well, you better start putting more fat on your body then, huh?" Easing the listening pieces into his ears, Knuckles wrapped an arm around Sonic as if to secure him in case he had second thoughts before placing the metal disk over Sonic's bandaged sternum where the tube had recently been removed. The hedgehog instantly trembled horribly at the contact. "Now, breathe in slowly and gently."

He did so as smoothly as he could manage without rolling into diseased coughs. "I keep getting chest pains. They come and go… and depending on where I sleep… it can really hurt."

"Okay, Blue. Tell me more."

"Feel… w-weak… and sleepy even when all I do is s-s-sleep." He felt the invasive, uncomfortable disk roam over his bony ribs as it pressed hard against him. "R-Red…?"

"Yeah, Blue?"

"Thank you."

The disk dropped away and Sonic felt that he could finally relax. "For what?"

"For… for helping me. For you and Shadow… all this machinery… all the h-help… I'm sorry I can't repay…"

Knuckles gripped his shoulder firmly, but not enough to bruise his skin. "We'd gladly do this for you Sonic, again and again. The only reward we want… is for you to get better."

"But the Master Emerald… Tails said that you should go back and…"

"I'm disregarding it. For now."

"W-W-Why?" He couldn't hide the shock on his face. This wasn't the echidna he knew. "The Master Emerald is going to need consoling because it's pretty much been r-raped."

"Ha ha. Very funny." Knuckles leaned forwards and eased him into a gentle hug. "The Master Emerald isn't going anywhere. Friends are more important right now. Just think, Blue, the quicker you get better… the sooner I can get back to it!"

Sonic smiled. "Red… Thank you, but it still isn't right."

"You aren't going to thank me after this." He released him from the hug and turned round, diving into one of the top drawers of the spare cupboard. He got out a syringe. "Full of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medicine. Perfect!"

Sonic looked away, eyes snapped shut at the anticipation of feeling the tip of the needle plunge into the flesh of his upper arm. He couldn't help but shiver when the cold bite of metal did indeed come into contact with his body. He wanted to pull away. Drag himself off the bed and crawl away. But the machinery held him tight with all their wires and tubes.

The medicine was safely injected and Knuckles dabbed at the new wound with a dab of cotton. "Hey, it's okay to be scared. I understand." He spoke softly.

Sonic carefully opened his eyes, seeing that all was safe. With a relieved sigh, he turned back to Knuckles. "How do you mean? I'm not afraid."

"Well… your condition…" He looked shy. Abstracted even. It was obviously a difficult subject to talk about, even when he himself was not suffering it.

"What about it?" Sonic asked, smiling wistfully.

"You seem…"

"Content?" He laughed weakly, coughing in between. "My memory is coming back in fits and starts. And I may know why. I've been reading your hedgehog book while you were in the bathroom. It states that memory loss can be affected by surgery."

"But you didn't kn…"

Sonic cut him off, still smiling gently. "Sally told me about the surgery and what Shadow… attempted." He tried to hide his flicker of embarrassment, but Knuckles always saw all. "And it's okay. Don't look so worried! My point, is that I was supposed to die with Ro_bu_tnik. The fact that I'm still here is a miracle. The pain gets me down, but on the whole, I'm thankful to still be here… if only for a little while. Just know that I love you all."

"You… you b-bastard…" Knuckles leaned forwards and gathered Sonic into an enormous hug.

"Red… why are you so sad?" He didn't mind the echidna's choking grip or the wet tears sliding down the fur on the nape of his neck, "you're all free. Robotnik is hopefully vaporized… and… and…"

"I wish you hadn't sacrificed yourself so recklessly." Knuckles gasped at his ear, "we want you to share the freedom with us. Don't give up. Don't make Sally a single mother."

Sonic sighed and pulled himself out of the echidna's warm arms. "I can't promise anything, Red. Just look out for her… and my... kid. Whatever happens. I'll fight. Dowa help me if I don't. Just remember that I'll be with you… all of you… in here." And he went and touched Knuckles on his chest where the white band of the guardian marked his sternum.

Sonic admired Knuckles proud defiance. His open belief that there would be a way. That he wouldn't die.

It was difficult accepting his own fate when no one else did. And all the harder to help them see it.

"Knuckles… I'm happy. I'm free. I… I did it! I did something no one else could. I defeated the overlander who we've all been at war with for decades. Hey, be happy too." Sonic gingerly shuffled forwards and cupped Knuckles' chin, ignoring the wet tears streaming down his fingers as a result. "Smile. The nightmare is over."

"You fucking pin-cushion. Fuck you. I hate this. I hate it all." Sonic was dragged into the second embrace of the hour, and this time he allowed himself to relax in the echidna's arms as his personal doctor cried his heart out. It was horrible listening to Red cry. Horrible because it wasn't natural. Wasn't right. This Guardian had seen a lot of calamity, pain and death. He was more sturdy than Shadow. More robust and with a heart of stone. Now he was breaking down, and Sonic didn't know what to do or say.

Head over Red's shoulder, eyes on the wall before him, his own tears spilled down his cheeks where no one could see. And no one could hear.

XXXXX

The very same evening, Tails came rushing into his room, looking very thrilled and pleased. Under his arm he carried a book and wads of paper filled with information. Sonic jerked at his sudden explosive entrance. Already having been helped to sit up in bed, he was currently going through his arm exercises. Mainly just stretching and moving his shoulders to keep the muscles from going too flaccid.

"Sonic! Good news! I've been working on something for you! And I just had to break it out to ya! It's perfect!"

"Oh?" Sonic rested on the pillows and watched Tails crawl up onto his bed. "Well, let's hear it then, buddy."

Tails opened the book out onto the quilt so that Sonic could see too. It showed a bunch of blueprints of a metal contraption. "While everyone was busy setting up houses and a granary, I've been working on this. I call it the 'ProtectorSB.'"

"Looks robotic. What's it d-do? It's certainly not a toaster, right? Or a radiator?"

Tails laughed. The hedgehog smiled at such a simple, natural reaction. For too long had this place being swelling with sadness of which he could not understand. The tears were there, but he could not see it. Like the trees in winter. Rueful. Lonesome.

"Not quite." The kitson managed to calm down long enough to wipe a tear of joy from his eye, "it's like an external pacemaker. It's a device that will fit to the front of your chest with straps…"

"Like a-armor?"

"Yeah… kinda! And it'll deliver electrical impulses when it detects a lack of them in your heartbeat. Nifty, huh? Only… I haven't figured out how to power it yet. And you won't be able to curl up into a ball when you wear it either."

"Will it be heavy to wear?"

"Oh, no. I'll make it out of carbon fiber. There's a graveyard of the stuff beyond the Flaxen Hills. They're all partially melted, but I can still use them!"

"And when will it be ready?"

"If I work hard on it, no less than four months for the prototype! Think of it as a cure!"

"Oh Tails! I don't need a cure! In fact, I don't need the ProtectorSB… thingy… at all! What you really need to be working on is a gym! I'll need to get myself strong and fit again and that'll help me more than a metal tank can do! I'd look like a freaky cyborg with your contraption!"

"I'm working on it, Sonic. You aren't going to persuade me. I've realized something about you."

"Oh?" He asked with a yawn.

"That you use reverse-psychology… a lot."

Sonic broke into feeble laughter, enough to stress his lungs with bothersome coughs. "It's all in your head, Tails!"

The kitson cocked his head at him, giving him a playfully annoyed look before dumping the paperwork to hug him close.

"Hey, I got something to ask y-you." Sonic said quietly. He felt Tails nod against his shoulder, "is Shadow okay? He doesn't seem to be himself. He's quieter. Upset. I've never seen anything like it. Did everything go okay for him in the Waylands with Sargus?"

Tails sighed. "As far as I know, and this is from Knuckles, the black emerald was destroyed and the peril was over. Everything is back to normal."

"So then, why is he changed? What kind of Shadow did we bring back with us?"

"I don't know." He heard Tails reply quietly. "But I see him pacing in his house at night. He has all the lights on throughout the dark hours. I don't think he sleeps."

"Ya know what really freaked me out?"

"What?"

Sonic shrugged. "Red came in here not long ago, hunting through all the cupboards and drawers, taking out all the needles and checking and rechecking medicine bottles. He said to me that Shadow was starting to worry him, so he was removing anything not clinically safe."

"Now that is weird."

"Uh huh. That's what I thought."

XXXXXX

Sally was tending to the windows outside, filling in any cracks with natural sealant against the incoming cold of winter and then putting up the guttering whilst standing on a ladder leaning against the wall. It was good to spend time outside, in the cool air and feel the stretch of sun on her face. The sting of antiseptics and ammonia got to her after a while. The only reason Sonic put up with it was because he couldn't smell these chemicals due to the mask.

Finishing up for the day, she descended each rung of the ladder with care when the most dreaded sound filled her world. The long, single whine of the ECG machine.

_He's flatlining..._

She fell down the rest of the ladder and slammed through the door on pure adrenaline and panic. The scream of the machine was deafening as it spluttered its warnings.

She broke into the room, eyes wide, and palms of her hands cold and clammy. Her surprise and fear were jilted when she saw Sonic sitting up in bed with Shadow's comic books displayed across his lap in untidy piles. His fingers were wedged in his ears, with Tails hastily trying to shut up the machine.

Seconds later, Shadow warped into the room like a disheveled ghost. Sally screamed and jumped back, still trying to grope with her sudden panic.

Calmly and without a word, Shadow marched towards Sonic and gently repositioned the monitoring pads that lay in the pile of comics. As soon as they were all properly connected, the ECG machine stopped alarming and the methodical, (if slightly raised) blipping once more continued its pace.

"What the hell happened?" Sally demanded, feeling so foolish for having stormed in.

"I disconnected the plugs." Sonic said hastily, "I'm sorry, Sal. The blipping noises were annoying. And don't blame Tails. I didn't realize it w-would go off like that."

Sally opened her mouth, ready to shout and yell at them both for scaring her nearly to death when Shadow brushed her as he walked past. The simple signal made her close her mouth again.

"Look," she said as Shadow silently left the room, "don't ever, _ever_ do that again. Let that overlander machine… do its job, okay?"

Sonic and Tails hastily nodded their heads. "P-Promise.

"Good." She heaved a sigh, came over and helped tidy up his tousled pile of comics. She moved them into a drawer by the bed and flicked the main light off. "Tails, I suggest you go back home. Sonic needs to go to sleep."

"Awww…"

"Now, Tails." Watching him leave, she didn't relax until the bedroom door closed behind him.

"I didn't mean it S-Sally…" Sonic looked anxiously up at her as if he was guilty of murder.

"Shhh, I know you didn't. And I forgive you. Honest." She knelt on the bed and gently tucked him into his blankets. The alarming ECG must have scared him too. She could feel him shaking. Robbed of his former glory, he obviously felt a lot more vulnerable even though he'd never admit to it. "Are you comfortable?" She saw him nod. "Sonic, the last thing I could ever do is get angry with you. Remember that, honey."

"O-Okay…"

"I'm confident that you'll get better. Then we won't need this machine."

"Takes too long."

She smiled and squeezed him for a moment. Eventually his shivering ceased and the trace blipping away on the machine wavered and fell into a far more relaxed pattern. He had fallen asleep in her arms.

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><p><strong>Outtakes:<strong>

**Sonic: **Knux said something about you using sealant during the surgery. What kind of sealant?

**Shadow:** The kind everybody uses. Didn't you know? It's Play-Doh.

**Sonic:** WTF?

**Shadow:** Yes. Best stuff ever. Comes in $5.99 tubs. Was there a color preference you wanted?

**Sonic:** *faints*

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><p><strong>Dib07:<strong> This is a nice break before we beatup the track once again. I hope it doesn't seem too much like a filler, and yes, I didn't have to use... that word. That HF word. In fact using it at all in the story after chapter 3 is rare, thank Dowa!

In chapter 5 Sonic is harder to restrain. How can you keep a sick hog in bed? And someone turns up in their village, turning the tide for some hope... and for Knuckles' ideals before winter comes full force.

Feedback is greatly, greatly appreciated. Really helps me. It is my drug. Thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5 Wheels of Hope

Dib07: Hiya guys, gals and hedgehogs. Here is the next installment. Sorry if the chapter seems slower than my usual (for me this chapter is the slowest out of the whole story). There are BIG plot developments here. And lots of things to come, even for a hedgehog with CHF.

This part of the story is at its lightest. I told you all at the beginning that things would get okay, and then plummet towards all things hell bound. And I keep my promises. ^_^ This is the last chapter before things become angsty, nasty, and just plain desperate.

Some OC's here. They AREN'T essential to the plot. Just there as background characters.

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**DanceDream: Another really touching review! **

**Anyways, you always make me laugh. You sure know how to take the edge off a harrowing, painful story. I hope you can keep that glass-half-full approach later in the story! XD**

**I'll try and get 'I'll Be Right Here' done asap. Just give me a little longer! ^_^**

**xxx**

**Storm337: Shadow sadly is not okay! He is holding a heavy secret! Actually come to think of it... there's hardly any of him in these chapters since the heart surgery. Oh well! But you will find out VERY shortly! I promise!**

**xxx**

**Special thanks to: Qwisse, Bloom5902, DC111, No Line on the Horizon, Storm337, DanceDream, ShadowEmpress76, FullRings and Exploder!**

**I always reply to each and every one of you personally. And if I can't, it goes up on here so that I can reply to it like DanceDream!**

**Small note: Arbiters: they are overlander followers, and are lethal. They use every kind of weapon, and are out to kill animals who don't worship mankind or thier technology.**

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><p>Chapter 5: Wheels of Hope<p>

**~Four weeks later~**

Their new village was improving. Their homes were expanding further into Faux Forest. A well had just been completed and a mill was still under construction.

Knuckles had found it arduous to keep to a stern schedule. His old injury in his leg ached now that the weather had turned for the worst. He limped about; still supervising other builders to make sure the work was getting done.

Lochiel, a female mink, had come up with the idea of having a wall built around their new settlement, protecting it from further attack.

The morning was warm and bright, but the amber colors of the forest had swiftly changed. No longer were they a succulent red and orange, but dry charcoal browns and ashen grays. Many of the leaves had flittered away, leaving trees gaunt and sharply naked against the blessings of a harsh winter vigil.

Under the dappled light of the morning sun, Knuckles sat with the freedom fighters and a few skilful creatures under a large elm tree. Sally was there too, troubled and acerbic. The others had sat down on the course grass, while she had wordlessly decided to remain standing.

"If we build a wall," Lochiel was saying, her silver fur glittery under the rays of the winking sun, "it'll not only increase our defenses but hopefully impose upon enemies how strong we might be. Walls are for the rich, the wealthy and strong. Arbiters are known to avoid walled-in cities and go for the vulnerable towns and villages instead."

"A wall would bring too much attention to us." Sally claimed after a distinctive pause in her step, "and it could hamper us. It would be a way a walling our own selves in. Then we might have no reliable exists if there is a siege."

"Then we shall devise one." Lochiel persisted, despite the grunts she got, "and who said we would need one exit? Let's have a few!"

"What kind of wall would we be talking about anyway?" Amy asked, blushing a little when all eyes came to glance at her, "if it's made out of wood our enemies would simply set fire to it. If it was built out of stone, it could be climbed upon."

"Stone would take years to build too." Knuckles added, "and we don't have the rocks or the right stone round here anyway."

Amy leaned her chin on her hand. "At least if we had a wall, it would offer some protection and we'd be able to know our enemies were there before they reached us, if they started attacking the wall that is."

"But some of these vermin have birds." Sally told the group coldly, "they won't be hindered by bricks and mortar! They'll swoop right in!"

Lochiel was about to say something else when someone beat her to it. "How 'bout we use overlander technology? That works."

They all turned sharply round to see the perpetrator of the new voice.

A blue hedgehog met their eyes as he came trundling up the path in a wooden wheelchair with Tails pulling him along. Sonic's eyes were bright and reminiscent, if only for a moment.

Sally stormed over to them immediately as the others were taken under quiet whispers and murmurs of astonishment.

"Sonic! What are you doing out here?" She cried sharply, "did you toss my rules aside the moment you thought of leaving that bed?" And before she gave Sonic room to answer, she snapped at Tails, "and you were supposed to be looking after him! What happened?"

"It's not his fault, Sal." Sonic replied thinly, "I just needed to get out and look around. It's not fun being cooped up in bed for weeks."

Amy came up and pressed Sonic into a gentle hug. "Don't mind the princess," she said with a wink, "but your health does come first, we've all been worried sick."

Sonic smiled tenderly in return. A thick, white scar with three claw strikes still marked him from thigh to his underarm. It was forever a handicap, and his muscles, wasted though they still were, had healed up over time, but would never be the same.

The rest of his frame was loitered with gauze around the chest while his eyes were dull with pain and lethargy. His movements were indolent and fatigued, and if it weren't for the wheelchair, he wouldn't have been strong enough to support his own weight. His head injury too was healing and he didn't need to wear a bandage on his skull anymore, but he was still bitten with headaches every so often during the day or night.

"I heard you all talking." Sonic laconically remarked, "how could I resist? A discussion? Without my input?"

At once all the animals rose to their feet, unable to contain their awe. They came forward, shaking his hand and welcoming him back into their group. He received hugs from nearly everyone, including the silver mink, Lochiel.

"We've missed you!"

"Y'fuckin' great you are!"

"Fighting Robotnik!"

"I couldn't have done that!"

"A true hero! Never doubted you!"

Sonic was inundated with so many compliments. All he wanted was some fresh air and to sedate his passion to explore. Tails couldn't have been more helpful, even if he had tried. Even though he wasn't allowed to let Sonic go anywhere, he obliged after he begged and begged him to show him around their new forest.

Still however, Sally glared at him from the throes of the background, and when at last the freedom fighters and other creatures let their excitement squander, she took Sonic's wheelchair from Tails and guided him away to a serene part of the forest.

A few leaves twirled down at their feet, teal and gold. Sally stopped Sonic in the middle of a grassy patch with Tails standing closely beside him.

"I know it's hard, but your recovery depends on you resting fully." Sally explained remorsefully, "you're still very weak and it's only been one day since I took you off the oxygen tank. You still might need it."

"I'll be fine, Sal. Just a quick few minutes out in daylight can't hurt, can it?" He shrugged, sounding as convincing as he could manage. Despite his conviction however, the sunlight made him look cadaverous, and deep, violet shadowy bruises were etched under his lidded eyes. As for his muzzle, it was a shade whiter than snow.

"I don't know…" She hated being at a loss and she hated arguments. Especially if it was with her mate. She turned away, afraid to show her face, then she added ruefully, "I've lost you too many times to count already."

"You won't again." Sonic reached out and touched her shoulder, bringing her back round to look deep into his muted eyes.

She hugged him, ignoring Tails and the forest around them. He was thin and delicate in her embrace, as if some creature had taken away all his former strength and spirit and left him as a weak, fragile husk.

"Tell you what," she whispered nonchalantly into his drooped ear, "you can sit out on the grass outside my home instead. That way you'll be close and in the company of others if something goes wrong."

Sonic had a forlorn air of sagging decrepitude. "All right. But I want to be able to see the stars tonight."

She inclined her head forward a little. "It'll be cold, Sonic. When it gets dark, it gets very cold quickly and your body's not well enough to staunch it."

Knuckles parted the branches away with his fists as he came stumbling into the clearing like a blind bear. "Princess! Sonic!" He said, breathing fast, his amazement at seeing his blue friend out here just as confusing, however, there were other matters to attend to, "come see this! A stranger's just rolled into our village with a pasha!"

"A pasha?" Tails exclaimed, mock amazement on his face.

The echidna nodded. "Honestly!" There was not a scintilla of doubt. "Come on!"

The echidna had been right.

In the clearing surrounded by all the animals of the devastated-Knothole was a rat saddled with leather backpacks and a horse with a cart at his rear. Before they'd even reached the thriving crowd, they could hear one of the royal guards shouting, "go and do your business elsewhere before we kill you!"

"What is that?" Lochiel pointed at the grey horse behind the newcomer when Sonic and the others finally joined the throng of spectators.

"Why, it's a white streaking pasha horse." Sally concluded at once. (The pasha is the Mobian equivalent of an non-anthropomorphized horse). It was a strange sight for the animals. Here was a creature similar to them that walked on all fours, and didn't have the power of speech or active thinking. It stood bound to a harness and saddle like a slaved beast with more straps round its nose and ears. It looked tall and powerfully able to defend itself, yet it did not. It stood there strapped to a large, wooden cart, as if waiting further command from this rat as its commander.

Sally stormed up to the front of the crowd. "Who are you and what do you want?" She demanded sharply.

The rat, with great bristling white whiskers, turned and glanced up at her. "I say, haven't seen a traveler in these parts then?" He said in perfect lapine. "I mean no harm. I am merely passing through here to Bridge Sea."

"You're a spy!" Amy cried.

The rat unstrapped his bags and dropped them onto the floor in a way of disarming himself. "I ain't a spy!" He said quickly, "I travel everywhere, y'see. Far en' wide. I've journeyed from the outer plains, passed the Sentient Caves and the Yaun Fort."

"Rubbish." Amy roared, folding her arms, "the Sentient Caves are only a myth, made into stories to be told to children."

The rat shook his head. Sally quietened the crowd first before facing the rat once more. She saw no possible threats and she needed to address this poor creature properly. Though the ex-Knothole villagers were afraid and suspicious after their recent tragedy, there was no need to treat everyone like an enemy.

"I am Princess Sally Acorn." She told the rat, "you may have heard of us and of Knothole's destruction, so please forgive the behavior of my people. We are still grieving. Anybody new is considered dangerous."

The rat smiled up at her, his grizzly muzzle wrinkling along his stout nose. "No need to apologize, princess. My name's Chicory and behind me is Thunder. A good ole' pasha, he is. But what I say is true. I've come a long way to meet the trades at Bridge Sea. Badnik patrols are less now and the Arbiters are staying up north so I decided to take a chance."

"What of the Sentient Caves?" Her tone was grave.

"Sentient Caves is not a legend. They're hidden is all. And a big ole' dragon lives there too. Bigger than that one." He pointed at Dulcy. "I did go in there o' course. I had to leave Thunder outside, cause he don' like no dragons. There's a special pool in there some animals say, that heals all wounds and cures the sick. And I saw it."

"What a load of poop!" Amy hollered, "that pool doesn't exist! Nor does the stupid caves!" Amy leant down and whispered to Tails, "that smelly rat has leather bags! Leather! He could be one of the Arbiters in disguise!"

"But Arbiters don't have pashas!" Tails reminded her.

Sonic wanted to suddenly leave the commotion. He didn't feel well anymore. "Knux, can you… wheel me away from here? My ears are ringing…"

Turning the chair carefully, Knux wheeled him from the earnest crowd and came to rest on a dome of a hill among the honeysuckle and the last of the daisies and toadflax.

Knuckles sat down opposite him, "Are you in any pain? You must tell me."

"My head hurts… but I think I'm okay… You just go and gawk at that rat like the rest of em', Knux." He said rather bitterly, "I think I'm gonna have to sit here for a while longer."

Knuckles smiled and playfully shoved Sonic's bony shoulder. "Hey, cheer up! You'll get your strength back soon. It just takes time."

Sonic eyed him with a shadow of regret. His mood had been tainted ever since he discovered that he couldn't even stand up without help. He was fiercely dependent on others and he hated it.

"Time huh? More time you say? To stare at those same old walls in Sal's house? Stare at the same fixtures on the table? The sheets? Knux, if I don't get my strength back fast enough, I'll be out of my head from the boredom! You gotta help me!"

The echidna cocked his head to one side. "I can grab you a few books to read. Well, they aren't really books. They all got burnt in the fire at Knothole. But Ullin's written a few pages on bay leaf. It's about some God or other. Or I can bring you some good mushrooms. They're growing thick in some rich parts of this forest that only I know!"

"No… no it's okay thanks."

"What would you like me to do, Sonic?" He took his hands and stared deeply into the hedgehog's misty emerald eyes. "Just name it."

"N-Nothing… what are you going to do about Angel Island?"

"Sonic, enough about that! Seriously! Think about yourself for a change!"

Sonic forced a smile. Then it fell like broken glass. "Red, can you remove these bandages around my chest? Sally's been changing them every couple of days, but only when I sleep. The wound's healed by now, surely?"

"Well, yes, I suppose."

"Come on, Red! I don't have all day!"

Rolling his violet eyes, the echidna got one of his sharp knuckle claws beneath a corner of gauze just above the blue blur's shivering diaphragm. With a soft yet powerful tug, the seam of bandages began to separate and tear down the centre. With another careful pull, the gauze was undone. Sonic touched the flattened fur as if this part of him belonged to someone else. He came across the sore incision mark – the long vertical mark that decorated the entire length of his sternum. Much of it was swollen with infection.

Red noticed too, but didn't comment on it. The antibotics obviously weren't working that well.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Meanwhile, Chicory was growing weary of all the questions back in the throng of the crowd. "Fine. The Sentient Caves don' exist then, you lot of non-believers! Though if you're up for trade, I'm game. I'm a trader en' a traveler."

"What are you trading for?" Sally asked.

"Food. Water. The essentials if you have any to give." The rat answered flatly. "Tis' a long way to Bridge Sea en' I'll need what I can. In return I'm willing to trade my pasha, Thunder. He's good en' all, but he'll be no good ta me once I get down to the sea and he's an extra mouth ta' feed. And I don' want the Arbiters to have em' if worse comes to worse."

He seemed fairly honest enough. But a pasha? What would they do with such a thing?

"What good is it for?" She asked, "and what does it eat?"

"Thunder is good for all sorts of things," the rat pressed on, "he can carry heavy stuff. You can ride em' if you want, and he don' bolt at nothing cept' dragons. And all he eats is grass, princess. He's easy ta keep."

"Well, food and water we can provide." Sally said, looking the horse over and feeling a tinge of pity mixed with disgust at the beast. It was a shame it couldn't talk. It seemed about as helpful as a rock face. But at least it couldn't complain.

"A done deal." The princess said. "Freedom fighters, supply this traveler with as much food and water as he needs. As for the pasha - Amy, take off its straps and take it to the fenced yard."

Tails, amused and curious, followed Amy with the pasha. Everyone else started to split up and go their own way, now that the entertainment was over.

Dulcy gave Chicory packed bread, sacks of water and a small bag of potatoes which he stored away, murmuring his thanks. A slight, edgy disappointment foiled his complexion, as if he were half expecting them to turn up with salted meat for him too. Rats were greedy little carnivores and that was what Sally would always class them as, friend or foe.

Now heavily supplied with food, Chicory bided his farewell and turned south, the way to Bridge Sea. Dulcy approached the princess cautiously after he had gone.

"He could still be a spy." She told her, "and he could tell the rest of his tribe where we are, just like before."

"No, he's genuine." Sally returned, arms folded.

"How can you tell?"

"Because Arbiters are never civilized or polite. He knew what he was doing and all he wanted was some more rations for his trip. And would an enemy ever address me as princess?" She raised her brow, and would have laughed if she wasn't in such a hostile mood.

Dulcy bobbed her head and blew a nostril of smoke up into the air. "Huh. Dragons he says. I'm the last dragon and that's all there is to be said."

Sally slowly turned to find Sonic. Now that the stranger's affairs were over, she wanted to find him and take him back home. When she saw him sitting in his chair on the grass hill beside Knuckles, her whole body felt gelid and numb.

She tore herself away from Dulcy and ran up towards them, horror in her heart. She regretted leaving him. Regretting not staying fixed by his side like a shadow.

But when she came to up to them, panting and face livid with drunken horror, Knuckles merely smiled and said, "I think someone just broke the sound barrier!"

"Hiya Sal." Sonic looked up at her, blinking in the heavy sunlight.

"Are you okay? Why did you leave?"

"The noise!" Sonic chortled, "what? Stop staring at me! Although I do have to say that I'm going to need a crutch. I'm sure it's not legal to use Tails or Knuckles as a glorified walking stick and I don't wanna be in a chair."

Sally blinked away the tears that were starting to form. "Come on, honey. Let's get you home. And why oh why did you remove your bandages?"

He was wheeled back the way they had come, and discerned a strange village he did not know. At the cottages he failed to recognize. "You made all of this?" He asked.

"I helped. Even Shadow gave it a shot."

"Where's he now?"

"Oh, in the Ark on his computers. He'll be down shortly to see you and try a little home-made cure-all. We'll have you feeling better in no time. Then you can walk and run as much as your heart desires."

He was taken back to Sally's home where he was wrapped up in blankets and put back into bed.

"Sorry, Blue, but it's time for your booster. You ready?"

"Er, no?" He said as Sally wrapped him up in blankets while Knuckles loaded the hypodermic needle with the dreaded pink capsule. The sight of them always made him feel nauseated. "Why so s-s-soon?"

"Orders from Mr. Shadow, I'm afraid. You have to have this one two hours early. If I delay it… well… I won't, so never mind. Show me your arm like a good little girl."

Sonic stuck his tongue out at him. The needle went in, medicine shot into his system like a bullet. And it felt like it too. In less than fifteen seconds he felt the effects in full. He slapped a hand to his sore chest, overwhelmed at the sudden adrenaline and uncomfortable hurt.

"Easy…" Sally said, rubbing his back, "it'll fade."

"I hate those pink capsules…" Sonic gasped, coughing, "why does it hurt so much? I sure hope Shadow knows what he's doing with this overlander medicine."

"Well, it's working so far." Knuckles sighed reverently.

It became a battle to keep himself awake as long as possible, but the hot vegetable soup, filled with pulses, garlic and broccoli that Sally gave him didn't help. The warmth of the meal and the medicine afterwards sent him into a doze faster, and before he knew it, he had closed his eyes and had succumbed to a cold, dream-filled slumber.

"Wow. A whole hour without the oxygen tank?" Knuckles asked.

"He insisted. Though it made his body need a capsule sooner." Sally replied, rubbing her arm up and down anxiously.

"I've got an idea with that cart in mind. And maybe the pasha. I think we need to look at it and…"

"Knux, the winter ceremony is tomorrow. Can't it wait? I have to go and get preparations under way. With Tails not back yet, can you watch him?"

"Yes, princess, of course."

xxxxxx

**Dib07:** How can Shadow know when to deliver precise boosters? Why does Sonic have to have them so regimentally? What is Knuckles getting at with the cart? What is this sudden home-made-cure for him? And why is Shadow avoiding them so? Why is Sonic slightly better? All these and more will be revealed shortly. I MUST remind you all that what you are reading at the moment is Panacea at its lightest. The sudden drop in the rollercoaster is coming up. Okies, enough warnings now! I'm gonna shut up!

Coming up: Chapter 6: Winter.

The hour glass has already begun. Shadow knows this. Why isn't he hunting for a solution?

Sonic pushes himself too far by accident. The overall tension and strain between them all is magnified.

The snow is falling…

Again, all your reviews are hugely helpful, supportive and literally a panacea for my insecurities. This story will continue solely because of you glorious, inspirational readers. You've taken the warnings at the beginning, and still you stay, read and enjoy; even when things will turn for the worst in the story. I am so happy from the support; I really don't know what else to say!

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me.


	6. Chapter 6 Winter

Dib07: Wow, so many to reply to this week! Even better! Your support/views are overwhelming and I admire and deeply appreciate the time spent writing your reviews. I can think of no better gift.

I am so humbled right now, and feel like I don't deserve any praise. But thank you. Thank you all.

**An annoying know-it-all:** Duuude, you have got to think of a better name! I can't call you that! Yes, you might know it all, but the last thing you could ever be is annoying! And love your comments. Thank you for enjoying my series. My grammar and spelling as always been my biggest weaknesses, and English lessons at school left a lot to be desired. My teachers never touched base on writing skills, which I found very disappointing, but there ya go.

Ah, yes… one subject I'd rather not discuss… the whole CHF thing. Urm… let's say the surgery saved him, and injured him further. HF can happen for a number of reasons, and can happen due to infection, injury to the heart lining itself. You don't have to be born with it at all. Even heavy drinking of alcohol can cause HF. All cases and scenarios are different, and thanks to the scarring of Shadow's surgery, it was inevitable that he had it. I'm sadly not comfortable going into more detail unless you want me to. And I will if inclined. Story telling is so much easier, but when it comes to discussing his thing… I find it difficult. LOL XD

Hmm I like your suggesting with the wording. I'm not terribly smart, so I understand where you're coming from.

Heart transplant: it will be considered in chapter 7 funnily enough! Lol! They do have the technology… but it is one heck of a surgery. And that's if anyone's willing to donate - which creates more problems. Thanks for considering it though. Really. You care, otherwise you wouldn't have written a review. And for that I honor you.

You are an amazing American, and so, soooo thoughtful for considering a review to little old me. Lol you drink? Nice!

You've massively inspired me, dude. And call yourself 'amazing know-it-all!'

**Sonikkuu:** Cute name! Heh, I usually didn't review much either when I was younger, and yeah I have incredible problem with spelling too, as some of my friends will know. I rely too much on Microsoft Word too, which at the end of the day, doesn't really help cuz it fixes everything automatically. So I completely understand. (Though I personally think I'm a lazy piece of crap)!

Wow. I don't think I deserve your compliments. I'm just glad my work is... working out I guess. SUPER pleased right now because of what you have written.

Yeah, HF is serious stuff all right, hence my massive reluctance to upload this story art all. I'm sorry to hear about your dad's friend. I've had a tragedy in the family too, and it's one of the worst experiences we as people can ever suffer. It will happen, even when none of us want it. Life can be terribly cruel. I will understand if this story gets too painful for you. The last thing I want to do is upset a reader.

On a lighter note dear reader; a transplant will briefly be considered next chapter and you'll find out why they can't! They will all knuckle down on what to do in the immediate time that they have in chapter 7 however. Lol loved that little joke you made involving Shadow and Amy! Thing is, without Shadow, who'd be able to use the overlander equipment? XD Sorry Amy, but it'll have to be you! XD

Sonikkuu, knowing that you will be out there reading is a massive honor to me. I'd love to hear more from you. You've really, really made me so darn happy and smitten! You are so thoughtful and earnest.

**Storm337:** You have ta wait until next chapter! It's aptly called Solutions! XDXD!

**DanceDream:** How could I forget you? My dear, loyal reader. Hospitals sure are nasty places. Thing is, it would be okay if you could actually trust nurses and doctors… but on the face of it, we really can't. And sometimes they don't actually care enough about the patients on a one-to-one basis which is really sad.

DanceDream, about the bible, there is a scene coming up in a later chapter where Shadow reads the bible on King Solomon. Will this be okay with you? It's just that… Sonic's situation really gets to him, and in times of dire stress, Shadow does turn to the bible. I've always kept Shadow strictly as a Christian, and well, have wondered if you wouldn't mind me including that bit.

Guess away, with the cart! But Panacea is still in its baby stages. Wait just a little more, then all will become clear!

Lolol I'm not a very patient person either, so I can totally see where you're coming from! Yes, Shadow does indeed need positive lessons from you. It's a shame you can't burrow him. That guy really needs a good talking to. But you will find out why next chapter. I promise! Then YOU can decide whether his concerns were… legitimate or not. XD

LOL about the tree in your backyard! LOL! Ahh, you do make me smile, dear reader. Keep safe, and you have all my blessings.

**Dib:** Right, on with the chapter! Enjoy! ^_^

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Chapter 6: Winter**

Winter.

A time for departures, farewells and unfathomable change. Of nature sweeping away the old and the weak.

Of tree and plant life to freeze in time and stand in deathly solemn reverence until the whispers of spring reawaken them.

But winter was also a time for storytelling. Sitting by the fire. Sleeping long and deep. And what was winter without a festival to celebrate health and prosperity? It was also a way of reminding them that winter was just as important as summer. The animals cherished their families. Danced to the gods. Gave toast and thanks to their pasts and to their coming future.

Shadow was extremely reluctant at first, and had to be radically coaxed into joining them. Though he had befriended much of the villagers, he was reluctant to join such a crowd. Before, when they had dinner with Lupe, it had only been the freedom fighters and a few select chosen. Now the black hedgehog had to contend with everyone invited. The noise, the banter, the tussle and huff and throng of the crowd. Yet the atmosphere, though boisterous, was merry, warm and welcoming and soon Shadow settled in with the others even when his eyes remained blank and somber.

Their festival took place in a big hall with enough benches and furnished tables for all of them. The hall was draughty in most places, and some water that had melted from the outside dripped torpidly through the boards, but none of it discouraged them.

The only one who wouldn't be attending was Dulcy. Most dragons (though there was a time when few bowed to instinct) hibernated when the weather froze and the nights grew thicker into daylight. Some reptiles would retreat to warmer climates, but Dulcy enjoyed her winter sleep and chose to stay in Faux Forest in a hidden cave where she could spend her winter months curled into a tightly knit ball. Sally missed her, but when the festival went ahead, there were so many to talk and linger with that the princess soon relaxed and allowed the thought of Dulcy to slip her mind.

Sonic opened the boarded door and left the pyretic southern winds behind as he entered the hall of freedom fighters and villagers alike with Tails. Under one arm was a wooden crutch suitable enough to help him stand and walk so that he didn't have to rely on others all the time, and this helped him walk normally without the jagged limp brought on by his maimed side. Tails hovered close all the time, very much the worried brother. Sonic wished the kitson didn't have to be so anxious and concerned all the time. He was getting stronger – or so he hoped. The fact of the matter was, he was still connected to the ECG every night and put back on oxygen therapy so he could sleep without getting mammoth coughing fits. It was sad and cruelly ironic how much he depended on machinery of all things. Cold hard technology.

Sonic caught a glimpse of Knuckles swigging a mug of wine and insolently blabbing at two female otters, Luy and Feytea.

"I know where all the pieces are!" The echidna smugly boasted, sweeping his hand majestically toward them as he described the woeful details of how devastation had befallen the Master Emerald. "Nothing, no, nothing can break them apart completely! For as long as I am around, I can put them back together as easily as if they had been made for breaking and mending!"

The two females laughed and the imprudent echidna reddened in a blush.

Sonic limped on with his crutch through the crowd. Since he was considered high-up in the ranks and thought of as 'royal', many stepped aside to let him pass, whispering their thanks at his constant bravery and passing saccharine smiles to his eyes.

He wondered if they realized how hard it was to be a hero.

No.

Probably not.

Before he got too caught in his own trap of depression and pain, Sally fetched him into her arms before he knew where he was. She gave him a great loving hug. "It's so good to have you on your feet." She admitted, pulling reluctantly away from him. "How do you feel?"

"Really good. How's this cure-all coming along? Every time I ask Shades, he kinda lurches off the subject."

"There's still a few things we need to propose. We're nearly there, I promise."

Though Knuckles had told him his condition was irreversible, he refused to accept it. And he was sure the others had the same thought, or else why would they be striving on ways to make him better if it was impossible?

"Mind if I join?" Came a sly, smooth voice.

They all turned and saw Rouge sauntering up to them. Sonic always wondered how she always managed to look so elegant and lofty. Her fur was always immaculate and snow-white.

"I see you've accumulated a good many more scars, Sonic. And what's with the ears? Have you slept on them too long or something?" She swayed forward, blinking while her lips struck up a permanent grin. She had never failed to seize every ounce of attention from every on-looker in the room.

Sonic replied brazenly; "good to see that you are charming and glamorous as ever too, Rouge." Consciously he tried to straighten his floppy ears. They had curled forwards ever since the surgery.

She giggled meekly. "That's because I don't go round throwing myself into wars and what-not. No wonder your complexion's ruined."

Sonic wrinkled his nose at her lavender stench for perfume. She must have been rolling in the stuff before arriving. "What are you doing all the way down here? And how did you find us?" Faux Forest, their new home, was after all a carefully placed secret.

"Shadow told me." She responded without faltering. "And that's why I'm here actually. I want to see him. The last time we met he acted kinda strange -"

Sally stepped in, asking, "how do you mean?"

She shrugged casually as if the question meant little. "Gee I don't know. Boys will be boys. Sometimes he acts nice. Other times? He just wants to be on his own, which is fine, so long as he isn't rude about it."

"Huh." Sonic was losing interest in her and the feverish pitch of the crowd wasn't helping. Consciously, he spied around to see if he could make out Shadow's comely figure, but all he could see was Knuckles sitting on a stool, proudly showing off the scar on his leg to some pups and hoglets.

"Still, it's good company to be here." Rouge continued, ignoring the blank face Sonic was giving her. "Do you guys, celebrate often?"

"Every year. It's our winter ceremony." Sally said a tad testily. She was aware that Rouge had yet to address her properly. "Don't you ever do things like that?"

"No need." The bat made a brief, mocking bow to the princess, then turned sharply on her heels and started walking away, wings folded tightly over her rump and back. "For I have no time for such things anyway."

"Yeah. She spends the rest of the time clipping her claws and applying that fruity lipstick." Sonic chuckled into Sally's ear. They giggled merrily together, Sally blushing under her fur. "It's so good to see that they're all the same and haven't changed." The princess went over to an oak table to pick up her glass of juice. She sipped it slowly while her bright, clear sapphire eyes watched the animals talk to one another, dance to the tempo in the background or relax with a circle of friends. Reunions did not happen often, but when they did they were unforgettable. It was a time for stories to be told. Of hardships shared. Peace declared. For experiences to be relived.

Yet the warm, calming atmosphere of the hut did nothing for Sonic.

As Sally daintily nursed over her cup of juice, Sonic asked her whilst leaning on the crutch, "what's on your mind?"

Then with an air of old authority, she muttered, "I've been thinking about arranging a council of animals that will serve me and my royal family and our duties for the years to come. This will protect the next heir to the throne."

Tails, too innocent to venture into the vicinity of royal awareness, excused him and Sonic and led him towards the tables stacked high with food. Without hesitation he cuddled him round his middle.

"Can we eat now?"

"Hey! Not so tight!" The blue hero reprimanded kindly, patting his brother on the head, "you'll bust a rib! If you're_ that_ hungry, we'll find somewhere to sit, okay?" He coughed weakly, rubbing at the sores on his muzzle brought on by the prolonged use of the breathing mask, "I don't think I can stand this much excitement for long."

They found seats at the great big oak table. The table was lavished with home-made decorations. Candles glowed warmly, while strings of bay leaf portrayed the plates and cups. Straw mats resided at each place, and mistletoes hung from the ceiling.

It was easy to wind down, relax and enjoy the winter ceremony. There was not a single face besieged with pain or trouble. No squander or worry.

"Sonic," Tails asked, "I'm really happy that you're better. It's the best gift ever!"

xxxxx

Meanwhile, Sally pressed through the crowd to find Shadow who at this point was gulping down wine as if it were water. He was far from the main table, enjoying the party at a glance as if it wasn't his place to actually join in.

"Shadow." Sally said when she finally reached him.

"What? Everything okay?" He said rather defensively as if seeing her was assuming the worst. But she did the unexpected and threw her arms around him. The surprise of it almost made him spill his wine.

"Shadow…" The princess said happily, "thank you dearly. You've saved my partner. Because of you, he is so_ much_ better! Nobody else could have done the heart surgery. I can knight you. How about it?"

Shadow gulped, frozen in place. How could he tell her the truth?

Sadness choked him, and he was unable to say anything but merely, weakly; stand there, stunned.

_Princess… if only…._

"Shadow? Are you okay?"

"Yes… yes everything thing is… fine…"

_xxxxxx_

Back at the table, Sonic and Tails talked for a bit, about Nutley, the tastiest apples, what games were good. But as he watched, the more things became surreal and out of reach. He felt far, far away from each and every one of them. Even Tails who was still cuddling him desperately. He watched Sally in the background zoom from Shadow, to Rouge, and then on her own at the bar. She looked unsettled. Restless. Like he himself felt.

"Can we play Chess one afternoon?" Tails asked. "Or a board game sometime? It'll help with the boredom. We can play it on the bed."

Sonic sipped languidly from his cup of water. "Sure. But you always beat me."

"I'll go easy on you this time."

He daydreamed. Staring at his water. Mind mulling over nothing in particular.

Sally suddenly came up behind his chair, causing Sonic to jump.

"How are you feeling?" She asked in concern.

The hedgehog smiled sheepishly. "Fine. One hundred and fifty percent!"

She placed her hand over his forehead. "You feel hot. Are you sure? I can always walk you home and we can enjoy a quiet evening together."

"No, it's okay! A banquet needs its queen, after all!"

Knuckles butted in and sat beside Sonic, struggling to sit down on such a small chair. Only then did he proceed to grab as much food as he could reach, dumping spaghetti, spring onions, tomatoes and cottage pie into his tiny plate. "Shame we couldn't eat like this while travelling to the Waylands! I could eat this shit everyday!"

"I would love to go on a trip, Knux!" Tails said as he dipped his finger into a bowl of hot sauce, "think of all the adventures we'd make!"

Sonic passed the bread to the echidna who greedily dumped it onto a second plate, mouth salivating. Before he splurged on the food, he looked over at Tails and confessed honestly, "kid, trust me, you wouldn't like any trip, especially with us. It's hard. Ruthless. Maybe when you're older you might one day, but even so, they'd have to be a strong purpose to make a journey. You wouldn't just do one, simply because you felt like it."

"But I can fly!" Chuffed the fox in a boastful manner; "it would take half the time!"

"Then it isn't a journey!" Knuckles chuckled back at him. "You will learn, one day young kitson."

"How's our new pasha, Thunder?" Sonic then asked prudently.

Knuckles paid him a short glance. "He eats a ton more than we do. It'll be hard keeping him fed during the winter, as well as our own. No wonder that rat disposed of the creature. If worse comes to worse, we'll have to free him. Then the dopey pasha can find his own food."

The stench of barley, ginger and apricot would have made even a stuffed, fat ape hungry. But Sonic dully watched on, nudging his piece of brown bread on his plate and listening to snitches of conversation around him.

"I don't like the idea of councils." Rouge was telling Sally who was sitting beside her. It took her two whole minutes to swallow one spoon-full of food because she was chatting so much. "It may be okay for the short term, but when you get fed up with them and turf them out, they aren't going too be happy, are they?"

"Yes, that may seem well but I am tired of making decisions all by myself." She concluded sharply.

Rouge rose a spoonful of cabbage soup to her mouth, paused, then lowered the spoon in thought. "You need to hurry up and have that baby. Then an heir will be unquestionable and the council can be set up to protect the child."

Sally seemed to glow and rubbed her belly. The pregnancy was coming on well, and the child would be due this spring. "Exactly. That's what I keep telling everyone." Rouge nodded, then finally sipped the soup from her spoon.

Sonic smiled at the mention too. Being a father sounded too much like a luxury. But he had trained well on being a maternal parent, thanks to Tails. He would teach his child the world. The adventure. The risks. The joy at being alive. And the freedom. That's if… he lived long enough.

Shadow took a bite out of a stick of rhubarb, then spat it back out into his plate. Sonic grinned when the black hedgehog pulled several faces and then pushed his plate away in disgust. However, Shadow always avoided eye contact with him.

"Marly and Fitson made a snowfox today." Tails told Sonic.

"Yeah, I saw it. With the amount of snow we're going to have, I'm sure they'll be making lots more!"

Tails smiled widely, and Sonic turned back to his plate. He felt febrile. The room too stuffy and hot. Maybe if he tucked outside real quick and breathed in some chilling air he might feel better. This warm, crowded hut was too much.

He turned in his seat and stood up, grabbing his wooden strut for support. Tails looked up at him in confusion. He was about to ask where he was going when Sally put the words in his mouth for him.

"Son? Are you okay?"

Sonic looked at her, putting on the most innocent, happiest of expressions he could muster. "Yeah. I'm just going outside for a bit for some fresh air. It's hot in here. I'll be back, don't worry."

Sally dropped her fork. "I'll go with you."

"No, really, it's okay." He started without her response. He could not get a slither of privacy _anywhere_ in this place. He had never been alone since the Waylands. Every time he woke up, someone would be watching over him. He wasn't sure if he could ever get used to that.

The animals carried on talking and laughing. Food continued to be served.

Using his crutch as he walked, he focused on the door ahead. The closed door that would usher in a taste of winter cold and also the sweet smell of freedom. In here everything felt – restricted. Imprisoning. He had to get out.

As he limped, the floor slowly tilted as if he had one too many to drink, when in fact all he had been sipping earlier was water. The walls moved in much closer, like living sentinels. Blotches of red color inched into his vision, flashing irksomely. He knew his brain was starting to reel, and hoped that by reaching the door and getting blasted with cold air, it would all go away.

Walking forwards with the crutch became a wearisome task, and he stopped against a wall, his feverish tremors escalating more intensely. He tried to crush them back, yet this effort only seemed to make them worse.

The door was such a long way.

He leaned away from the wall to reengage his efforts, thinking that maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all.

Sonic shuffled up to the door at long last and rested his trembling hand on the doorknob. Opening it brought a riot of cold winter air, blasting him off his feet. For a few besotted moments, he lay on the chequered floorboards, wondering where on Mobius he was. His crutch fell beside him with a loud slap of wood against wood.

There were voices shouting all around. They were muffled somehow, as if they were trapped behind thick glass.

He heard a cry that sounded distinctively like Sal's.

Everything became a cohesion of dismay and bewilderment. Hands were on him – gently guiding him from the cold, hard floor. He saw flashing white blobs in his eyes – like fireworks exploding in the blackness of night.

A rush of something hot and uncomfortable surfaced in his throat and he puked hard on the floor between his shivering legs. His throat burned as if he had just issued forth a torrent of fire.

"Sonic! It's going to be okay! Just relax and breathe slowly, like we practiced!"

Was that Knuckles?

His legs were wet in a pool of copious crimson.

The voices were suddenly deafening.

He was drowning in the fog of his own confusion.

The last thing he saw before he fell into cold dreams was Sal and her look on her face. He had never seen her so frightened.

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

Dib: And that's a wrap until next week! Yes, my updates are on a regular basis. So yar! Lol! Subscribe! If you dare!

Anyway, thank you all for reading!

**Next chapter: Solutions... or Not**

_The time is now. Shadow digresses much of the truth. But this only escalates the problem._

_Knuckles shoves forth his solution that he has been residing over for a long time. But is this solution mad, or is it really the answer of something equally insane?_

_Stay tuned!_


	7. Chapter 7 Solutions or Not

**Dib07: This is one of my favorite chapters. Just because of the emotions played out in these scenes and how they can bind together when certain tragedies take place. This is quite a bit longer than my previous ones, and of course by now, we are finally getting into Panacea's plot.**

**DanceDream:** OMG can so imagine Sonic there, and sleeping too! XD So cute! I am jealous too! Lol running solo! Sonic steals the spotlight too much anyway! Ah what am I saying, he's awesome! Hug him for me, will you? ^_^ Lol Rouge insulting Sonic! Yeah, she doesn't like him much in the Legends Series. :P

Ahh yes, you'll find out now why Shadow was being such a screwy kinda guy. Oh yes indeed! Wonder what you'll think!

Great, glad you think so! Solomon is really good, that's why I chose him out of all the others I could have chosen! Lol! And what a list to choose from too! Ah, man, you do homework and stuff? Ah well, luckily for me I've been there and done it. Some I still have nightmares about! But so awesome and kind of you to leave time for a review! I am lucky to have you! And please glomp Sonic for me!

**Storm337:** Ouch, sorry, kinda can't tell you. But I guess it'll be pretty much answered in this chapter. So, lol I'm gonna let Shadow speak for me!

**Pete Venkman: **Oops! Error indeed! Thanks for spotting that! Yup, all cleared up now and mistake erased! Robotization? Actually, that would work! XD I think Sonic would rather die though than not have his natural body! But yeah, would work. Thanks for the review, dude!

**Special thanks to: DC111, Exploder, DanceDream, Fire-Shiell, No Line on the Horizon, ShadowEmpress76, FullRings, Storm337, Pete Venkman, and sagapaga.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Solutions... Or Not<strong>

The food had been packed away. The dishes taken and cleaned. The hut was now empty. The ceremony was over.

The world outside was dark with night. The moon was hidden behind a veil of clouds, but the stars were bright and gossamer.

Tails clung close to the wood of Sally's cottage wall. Slow tendrils of smoke drifted from the chimney at the top, suggesting that the hearth was being used within. But what had attracted him aside from his concern for Sonic, was the shouting. It was Rouge. And Shadow. They scuffled in the snow. Well, not fighting one another, but hotly debating and pacing through white drifts like noisy mating partners. Only this time, sex wasn't part of the deal.

"Tell them!" Rouge cried, her breath issuing foggy clouds from her lips.

"I will, but it won't make any difference!" Came Shadow's firm rebuttal. Tails ducked down lower, sure he'd be seen. But they were much too focused on each other to notice anything else. Even if a bomb exploded nearby, this may not have deterred them either. "I can't make more! They'll think I can – just because I live up there! But I can't! I can't!"

"Tell them, you coward. You aren't doing them a favor by hiding it." Tails watched the bat give Shadow a malicious glare. No one else would have had the guts to confront him like that. No one. "By not saying anything, you're giving up, you hear me? I may not like Sonic that much, but to have him go like that someday soon is beyond disgusting and cruel! You are filth to me!"

She turned and opened her jet black wings. Shadow went to go after her; however nothing spurted from his lips. Nothing. And he stood there, watching her fly into the inky heavens of weeping snow.

Tails ran back to his own cottage that was being shared with others. His world had become pain itself.

XXX

Hot and sore mentally, Shadow strolled into the warm bedroom, angry and sad. He hated it when he felt this way. He found himself a seat and kneaded his temples. "Sorry about that. Rouge that fucking bat had nothing useful to say. Right, where were we?

"We were talking about solutions?" Knuckles growled.

"Yes, that's correct. All of them are… somewhat promising." Shadow looked at them each in turn with bitter regard. He leaned slightly forward, hands clasped in his lap. He waited prudently for acknowledgment, a preliminary stroke of inspiration from the others. He was disappointed when no one else spoke.

The hearth was hungry with warm, lavishing flames. Knuckles sat uncomfortably on a stool, still trying to 'wake' up from the alcohol he had consumed at the festival. Sally leaned against the doorway between the lounge and the bedroom.

"Let me go through my suggestions." Shadow continued in a clear voice, "here's the first one. We take him to the Ark and hospitalize him. I could try specialized surgery, but none of us are trained, and the surgery has only a 12% success rate. Basically all the Ark can do is assist him, like what we are doing now."

"Next solution?" Knuckles asked impatiently.

"We use either a power ring or a Chaos Emerald. We have one Emerald, so we can try it. The theory is that Emeralds have the potential to heal. Power rings are different, and only give surplus energy, so a ring would be no good and is less safe to use. However an Emerald may just help him."

"You doubt this solution. I see it in your eyes." Knuckles said.

"An Emerald heals wounds depending. I've seen the effects of all seven on the body. It targets grievous wounds and heals them. But can it actually revert a terminal condition? Sonic's heart has already healed since the sealant, so technically there is nothing to heal. My point is, is that an emerald won't work. It can't reshape an organ. It's too late. All it would do is give him surplus energy like the ring, or hurt him further."

"Well, we've got to try!" Sally said from the doorway, "please! We have to try!"

"What about a heart transplant?" Knuckles said, trying to shore up some ideas of his own. He was desperate. They all were.

"No good. Has there been any donations recently? Besides, none of us are trained. And the surgery could cost him his life."

Knuckles leaned back; mind working hard, but not coming up with any conclusions. "What he had in the hut was a relapse - a pure symptom of his condition. He can't get better without help. The vomiting of blood is part of it, but mostly due to infection... in there."

"There's a bigger problem I haven't told any of you yet." Shadow suddenly uttered, showering Sally and Knuckles into further dismay. Rouge's angry words speared into him in a fresh echoing wave. She was right. "What's really keeping Sonic going are the heart boosters. They come in these mini pink capsules that can be easily dispensed through a syringe and into the drip or straight through his skin. Upon effect, they immediately improve his circulation, even when the side effects are less than favorable."

"Get to the point." Knuckles snorted.

"The point is," Shadow continued after giving the echidna a sharp look, "is that the heart boosters aren't going to last long. I only have fifty packets left. That amounts to just fifty capsules, which means that he'll run out of them mid-winter at the rate he's going through them, since he has one every three hours. Once they run out, his blood pressure will plummet and he'll die. In agony. Nothing else I have comes close to what these boosters do!"

Knuckles' studious countenance was bright orange and ambient yellow against the colorful splay of the embers in the hearth.

"That's a load of bull!" Sally shot from the doorway, tears running down her cheeks, "we've been looking after him so well! Kept him warm! Using the support of those cursed machines! Made sure he eats!"

"I didn't want to upset you."

"Upset me?" She cried hoarsely, "who do you think you are! I've been through hell and high water! Knothole is vanquished! My mate is sick!"

"Listen to me," Knuckles replied calmly, siding with Shadow, "Sonic's deteriorating too rapidly. Thanks to you he's recovered a lot since we rescued him from the rubble in Wayland Mountain, but the damage has been done. He's never going to be better. He's only going to get worse. What we saw in the hut was a symptom and I'm sure he'll have more!" She was in denial and it hurt Knuckles further. "Not all is lost, Sally." He ebbed out a warm, benevolent smile, "I've got an idea. We take him to the east. To the panacea caves."

What he did not expect, was how she kicked off. She strode into the lounge, hands on her hips. "Caves to the east?"

"They are called the Sentient Caves, and yes, to the far east, way beyond the Waylands. Your rat was mentioning it when he came into town and it was that that reminded me. The caves are real. They contain these pools of legend that can miraculously heal anything, from fatal injuries, to disease and muscle weakness."

"Echidna," the elder hedgehog almost snapped in his smooth voice, "there is no such thing. For if there was, everyone would be using it. I've heard of that legend too. It's a common story told to kits and babies to help them sleep. It's a fool's paradise."

"You don't understand. No one else has gone there because, they us, they sweep it under the carpet, ignoring it. Labeling it as a myth. I've been there! I've seen the pools! Centuries ago, old tribes used it. Or so the legends dictate."

"If it's so good, why have you never mentioned it before?" Sally quipped angrily.

"Because there is a price to pay." Knuckles explained, "I don't know what it is, for it has been erased by time and forgotten. The caves were used only as a last resort because of it. But desperate times call for desperate measures. When I visited the caves, I was looking for my own kind. So my visit was brief. Since Sonic has a terminal illness, we have nothing to lose."

"And you'd take him out there?" Sally asked, unnecessarily pointing to the mild winter blizzards cooing right outside the window. The white swirls were mesmerizing and beautifully deadly. "In winter? Why not wait until the spring?"

"Because he doesn't have time! You heard Shadow! The booster shots won't last! This is our chance now! While he still has some strength left!"

She stood there, silently raging. Her limbs were shaking with utter umbrage. "He's better here." Her voice came out surprisingly calm, "I can take care of him. You don't know everything!"

"Princess…"

"You'll kill him!"

"You'll kill him if you keep him here!" Knuckles kicked his stool back and stood erect, nostrils flaring. "He'll stay locked behind your doors so that he's stuck in a dead-end, literally. This is his last chance! Don't you have any faith in me?"

Shadow remained seated, keeping well out of this. Already in one hand was the bright blue chaos emerald he had slipped out from his bag.

Sally grabbed the echidna's arm and wrestled him over to the window. "Look! That's what you are going to take him out in! Did you IQ drop sharply? He has heart failure!" True to her words, it was snowing bitterly.

"I know it sounds mad…" Knuckles said in ascent.

"It_ is_ mad! Maybe in summer!" Sally was persistent, and she would be. Letting Sonic go was more than she could handle. "But not in winter! How are you going to keep him warm?"

"I'll look after him! I know exactly where the caves are, the shortest and the safest routes! Come on, Sally! Wouldn't you give anything just to have him well and with no more sickness?"

"_If_ you find the caves."

"Trust me on this one. He won't even have to walk. He'll be on oxygen because we'll be bringing two, full tanks with us. I assure you that I will bring him back in one piece – and I'll bring him back to you."

"Excuse me," Shadow said while the princess and the guardian stared heatedly at one another, "but how do you propose we get him there? So that he doesn't have to walk?"

"I'm working on it." Knuckles spat, irritably glancing over and seeing for the first time the emerald in his hands. "Are we going to try him on that… tonight?"

"Tonight." Shadow confirmed with a short nod, "if it doesn't work, the Sentient Caves might be the only solution we have left."

"How can puddles of water be more apt than an emerald?" Sally argued, fighting back her tears.

XXX

Waking Sonic up to perform an experiment didn't seem fair. But they were running out of options with a hedgehog on borrowed time. Sally eased the blue blur up by tickling one of his drooped ears. It took an unusually long time to get him stirring. He had obviously been enjoying his sleep.

As soon as he realized that he had company, Sonic bolted upright and groped for his mask to remove it.

"Easy, Sonic, it's okay." Sally fixed the loose mask back on before it was fully removed, "I hate to admit it, but this isn't a social visit. We're here to try helping you with a chaos emerald."

"That's right!" Knuckles added with a fake smile, "it might erase your weakness and apathy. Do you want to go through with it?"

Sonic looked at them each in turn, and lastly at the pulsating blue emerald being cradled in Shadow's left hand. They were all here. Sonic watched them while the old ECG machine always broadcasted his heart's every regurgitation, convulsive stutter, or overall inadequacy. Shadow was shaking his head at Sally. Knuckles had a clipboard.

"Have you ever tried this before?" He went to try and sit up a bit more, and Sally responded by raising a cushion behind his back.

"Nada." Knuckles softly confessed. "I think it may just work. You use them a lot, so I don't think it can do anything… negative. The odds for it treating you aren't exactly…"

"Never tell me the odds!" Sonic smiled, "w-what time is it? Morning already?"

"No. It's in the middle of the night, not long after the festival." Shadow corrected him, "we're sorry for disturbing you. However, you wanted a cure-all, and this is all we've got on such short a notice."

"Not a power ring?"

"Too lethal and unpredictable. It might make you want to run for an hour, but there's no evidence to say it'll do what we want. Shall we try this emerald now? Suffice to say, it isn't my idea, I just provided the damn thing."

"Do it," Sonic said, still very droopy and shaky with fever, "before I change my mind."

Knuckles took the emerald off Shadow and passed it into Sonic's open, quivering hands. At first nothing happened. Sonic sleepily leaned back into his many cushions, holding the gem stone tight. The delay only got Shadow more tense.

Just when Sally was about to say something, the blue emerald spewed with uncharted light that hurt their eyes. Knuckles swung away, shielding his face. Then the azure light dimmed as its energies steadied. The ECG machine didn't placate them as it blipped higher and louder than before.

Sonic began to curl up around the emerald in obvious pain. Pain that wasn't part of the deal. Acting fast, knowing that the emerald wasn't doing as it was supposed to do, Shadow snapped the boiling hot gem from Sonic's fingers and cast it down to the floor. The ECG trace line was wavering badly. Sonic curled his toes within his socks and choked out bright, frothy blood. Sally removed the mask and rushed to grab some tissues.

"That was a stupid risk." Shadow implored angrily at them.

"I'm okay." Sonic coughed through the blood, "hurts a little bit… you at least t-tried… that's what matters…"

"If you're okay now, I hate to see you when you aren't!" Knuckles said playfully, cuddling the small hog with great sadness.

With the tissues, Sally leaned her partner forward as Shadow had once shown her, and patted his back. He brought up nothing else; however his febrile shakes had been strengthened by the emerald.

Sonic had always been so durable. So true to his form and rarely showing weakness. Hardly ever being forced down to the ground. Never giving in. And now he was like this. Too weak to even use an emerald at his bidding.

Pretending everything was fine, Sally eased Sonic back into bed once the ECG traces had quieted to a more normal pace. Still coughing and hiccupping a little, he closed his eyes and tried to relax. She smiled and stroked his droopy ear. Ever since he had fallen ill they had never perked upright. With one arm behind his spine she drew him close and nuzzled into his chest, listening to his feeble heartbeats that always reminded her how sick he really was inside.

"This is no good." Knuckles picked up the emerald and was almost too tempted to throw it against a wall in hurting rage and disappointment. "This is no good at all."

Sonic heard them move about the room like fidgeting spectators. Sally made her excuses about getting a fresh cup of coffee, whilst Shadow's footfalls charged after her. Probably to apologize. Knuckles remained, tapping the edge of the clipboard on the headboard.

"If not the pool…" He was mumbling like a creature that had mentally turned, "then transplant. Shadow can surely create something artificial if nothing else. They'll say…. Or to go to the pools…" The mumbling got quieter and Sonic could no longer hear him. Suddenly afraid, he discreetly covered his sternum with his hand, as if trying to protect his heart. Though it was weak. Feeble. Useless, it was still a part of him in every way.

XXX

"Shadow, I need some rest." Sally leaned against the kitchen counter, looking remarkably frail herself. A mother-to-be and she looked wrecked. Not great. Maybe Sonic's brief getting-better period had really put her in a good mood. Made her cope with everything. Now they were all back to square one, and Sonic's condition even more devastating than ever. This worry was not good. Or else she'd end up having a miscarriage.

And losing them both, would destroy her.

"All right." Feeling guilty anyway, Shadow was more than happy to bring in a suggestion. "You sleep at my place. It's dry, water-tight and once you throw in some good logs and let the fire burn a little, it's as warm as it is in here. I'll sleep with Sonic. I'm the one who medicates him anyway."

"I trust you, there's no doubt. Thank you, Shadow. It's just for tonight. All these solutions… what's happened…the antibotics not working so well... it has made me so dizzy and nauseous." She paused, resting against the counter, looking old. Old and spent. Sonic's health was playing havoc on hers too. "Oh gods, Shadow… what do we do when we run out of those boosters? Watch him die? Is there nothing else?"

"Nothing else. Do you now see why I kept it so secret, princess? The boosters are pretty much palliative care. Simple relief from pain, shortness of breath and any other distressing symptoms he will have. I'm sorry, but that's the way it goes."

She shook her head at him, unable to find the right words to say for a time. Once she had, her voice was bitter and choked. "Tails is going to lose another family member and there is nothing anyone can do…"

XXX

And so his babysitting duty began that very same night. When all were asleep while the sky bled snow; a sterile, soundless thing, Shadow prepped the needle with the elusive pink medicine. Awake, groggy and exhausted (always exhausted), Sonic lay awake for the injection after having a good, energy-giving meal. He couldn't help but watch as Shadow slanted the needle awkwardly into his arm. "You're doing it wrong, Shades. Let me try, that's not how Red does it."

"Do you seriously want this thing up your arse?" He commented. Not darkly, but firmly all the same. He was trying to concentrate. The needle slotted in. Sonic winced as if he had just been branded with fire. Doing this required the whole, 'holding the scruff of his neck routine,' thus saving Sonic from more damage and keeping him calm at the same time during each use of the needle.

"You… y-you couldn't even find a rabbit's hole, you fat a-alien..."

"Just because I'm bigger does not make me fat."

"Does too."

"Yes, I know, you're jealous." He emptied the needle and placed it on the nightstand, releasing Sonic's neck. One less to use. One more that brought Sonic closer to his final hour. "Time for sleep."

"With y-you?" He looked up at him, one droopy ear serving sideways. "Where's S–Sal?"

_Crying her eyes out._ "She's worn out, Sonic." He said in a reprimanding tone. "She needs some time alone."

"Oh. Wish I could have some time alone too." And he thumbed the ECG machine respectively. "So I crashed the party, huh? Must've… blacked out…"

"That ceremony - winter garbage was tedious at best anyway." He swallowed, not liking the silence that lifted between them. "You just love the spot-light too much. That's why you fainted."

"Shades?" He asked suddenly, as if unaware of their current conversation.

"Hmm?"

"Do me a favor. Don't rip me open again. I like me."

Shadow stared at him, his face almost grimacing into a scowl because for a moment he did not understand what he meant. Then it hit him. The heart transplant. He had been listening… all that time. "We won't. I promise. Even if you... wanna keep something that doesn't work."

"Your sense of humor has never worked, but you still manage." He said with a sly wink. Shadow would have smiled. But couldn't. Not today.

"Let's tuck you in, Sonic. I am being paid to do this, but you won't be getting this service twice. Now wriggle in."

"You _aren't_ being paid, alien."

"Ouch. That hurts." He said sarcastically. Sonic smiled. And then the coughs started. Long and without intermission. He tried to cup his mouth towards his hand, but he only came into contact with the oxygen mask. Thankfully it didn't last long, and after his fit, he listed dreamily within his blankets, falling asleep. Everything was tiring for him now. Conversations. Medicine. Food. Baths.

Awkward and not overly happy, Shadow leaned in against him, choosing to remain sleeping on top of the blankets rather than inside. Touching Sonic was obligation. Not choice or freewill. However, Sonic was out like a light, breathing slow and even. It did shortly became clear why Sally did not wish to spend a night in this very room. It was mainly all down to the loud machinery that was literally like a concert all on its own. It would have been fine if it played to itself. Yet it didn't. It played to Sonic's body chemistry. The breathing apparatus was a scratchy, wheezy machine. And the ECG became a dark, foreboding monster in the darkness. Sometimes it looked like it was leaning towards the bed like something living. And what's more, its blips weren't consistent. They drooped and blipped randomly sometimes as though feigning some danger. No wonder Sally could not sleep.

The antibotics would have to be upped. Which would spell disaster on his digestive system.

Shadow finally dreamed. And had nightmares.

* * *

><p><strong>Dib07:<strong> Yeah. A big question answered. And a few more questions raised. So what will they do now? Please R&R and lemme know what ya think! And another update next week! Thank you for reading!

Next Chapter: Shadow's Requital


	8. Chapter 8 Shadow's Requital

**Storm337: **Yes indeed! XD But will it work? That's the next big question!

**Meowtastix: **OMG Hiya dude! I like making Sonic suffer? Ah! I've been wounded! Jokes! LOL! There is a method, my dear friend. One day... one day...! Well, at least he's alive and not stuck under mountain debris! And yeah, icky stuff, throwing up blood. Yeah, I haven't got over Crossroads either. Still, at least we have thus! Hahaaha!

**DanceDream: **Aww, hugs all round! And gosh, Sonic will love this little last adventure, even if it's a horribly cold one! He's all for it! Oherwise he'd be stuck looking at a ceiling until his heart pegs it. And wow, you are very perspective on the boosters! Lol, yes they are hindering the antibotics. Spoilers? Nah, not really. That infection's a killer, lmao. But you've made some great guesses!

You are always hard at work! Hope you get a chance to read this new chapter soon, the both of ya! ^_^ We'll all waiting on the holidays! They can't come soon enough! XD! It's not fair!

**FullRings:** Thanks! I know, I said it like, a hundred times, but another can't hurt, can it? XD I hope you enjoy this juicy chapter! It's the least I can do! And I have been glomping the picture 'Turn me on...' all day. I am still in shock. That precious gift from you is an absolute honor. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**

**Chapter 8: Shadow's Requital**

"Check mate!"

Tails leaned forwards, reevaluating the board. "That's not check mate! You've just got my queen in a corner, not my King!"

"Oops, sorry, Tails. Your turn then."

They played chess on a marble board on the swinging food tray Sally used for his bed. With Sonic still bedridden, it was hard to play games of any sort that didn't involve outdoor activity. Tails had been through some bad spots recently. After seeing Sonic convulse that day while Sally went to get water, he got depressed and sullen, hardly wanting to do anything but stay with the hedgehog, which actually got on Sally's nerves a little. Sonic needed roundabout care. Food. Sleep. Medicine. Some private time. But in the end, Sally accepted Tails' needs, and so gave up fighting a losing battle. What was so terribly sad, was what on Mobius would Tails do once his older brother… died suddenly?

"I hate this thing. Makes my throat so sore." Sonic got his bare fingers under the rim of his mask and ripped it off. The elastic band at the back snapped free, and he dumped it by his side in abhorrence.

"It's made a pink ring round your face!" Tails admitted with a childish grin.

"Oh great! Got a mirror?"

"No. Besides, we're supposed to be playing Chess. It's your turn."

"Man, this game is hard!"

"It's supposed to be!"

Sonic delicately picked up his castle piece and moved it straight across the board to the other side, taking Tails' bishop. "The pieces are well made. How come it survived the Knothole disaster?"

"It didn't. This one was made recently. See the pieces? They've all been carved from wood."

Sonic scratched his chin, his other arm pulling at the I.V. line. He was inches from ripping this off as well. They had kept him in bed for too long. He wanted out. However, every time a snap of inspiration took hold of him, all he needed to do was look out the window and spy the snowflakes falling down. The cold made him tremble. "Who made it?"

"Shadow did."

"What?" He laughed, "he made this game?"

"Yup. It was a 'get well' present from him."

"Are we talking about the same Shadow here?"

Tails moved his queen diagonally on the board and took out another pawn that added to his growing pile. "How's your fever?"

"Heh, it was just a spell." He shrugged. "Red and the others tried to kill me with a chaos emerald! They are clueless sometimes I swear!"

"It didn't help? I heard them talking about it earlier."

"Red had got another mad plan. Haven't ya heard, lil' buddy? Apparently he wants to take me to these caves way up to the north-east. In winter. Sal doesn't want me to go, and she couldn't go with me anyway. She's pregnant and she's the leader."

"Do you want to go?" They stopped playing for a minute. The red evening sun tried to peek through the curtains. It revealed the dust motes trailing in the air. Even the buttons on the ECG machine were starting to get a bit dusty.

"Well, yeah. Honestly, I wouldn't mind. They'd only be doing it for me, this trip. Knuckles came up with this brilliant idea of using the pasha to pull a cart, and I could sit on it the whole time. Originally Shadow wanted to use an overlander vehicle from the Ark called a buggy. However, the fuel cells had run dry, and there were no replacements, so it couldn't be used. Besides, it could only fit two people."

"Why can't Dulcy take you there?"

"In this winter cold? Nah, she's sleeping for a few solid months. And even if she wasn't, the high altitudes in the frozen winds would cool me down too fast, so it would have to be done on the ground. It doesn't help that only Knuckles knows the way. These Sentient Caves are way past old, and it takes one to know the passages, or else you'd just get lost. Shadow wanted to go there, scout the place out first. But he doesn't know the way. And Knuckles has a bad leg…"

"Can't I come?" Tails asked hopefully, no longer interested in the game.

"Sorry, lil buddy. It's just me and Knuckles. The less the better, that way we can move faster, with less rations to carry. It'll be dangerous out there, Tails. I wouldn't want you hurt. You're safer here and Sally is going to need your company when I am gone for a while. All right?" He added derisively when Tails looked away, dull with disappointment, "I'll be back before ya know it! I'd wanna be, stuck in that cold!" He shivered in nervous anticipation. "Ask me if I still like snow when I return."

"How can you joke about this?" Tails asked gently. His tone was not angry or condescending. Merely worried and sad. "You aren't well, yet you're going to go out there? Just like that? The Sentient Caves are legions away and you can't run, and Knuckles isn't terribly quick either. Why can't you stay until the weather warms up?"

"I… I don't know why…" Sonic gave a quick, furtive shrug. "Maybe certain passages can't be accessed in summer? I dunno! Don't look at me!" But he knew. _The boosters. The bullets of life. The only medicine keeping him going._

"I don't get it!" Tails persisted, looking mortified, "why can't you use my Tornado? It only seats two I know, but I can still fly you there, right! It'll take a day maybe… but if we bring enough fuel and…"

"Yeah. No." Sonic leaned back against his pillows and scratched his left ear, hating how limp and floppy they had got, as if they had been blow-dried constantly. "The weather's too bad for a plane. You'd not only be flying blind, but the high winds would damage the plane. It doesn't have the structure. And we'd freeze in the seats. And…" He had a quick thought, then suddenly added, "_you _don't know the way. None of us do except Knuckles, okay? And in this weather, he won't be able to ride on the wing either, unless you want a popsicle as an echidna. Say… how's that ProtectorSUB thing getting along?"

"ProtectorSB!" He corrected him with a smile that quickly waned. "Urm… encountered a few problems. I can wire it up to batteries that can be powered by sunlight using solar panels, but I'm going for something more concentrated. Like fuel or power crystals. Anyway, it's hard to dial how powerful the shocks are gonna be."

"You could light up one of Shadow's Christmas Tree's with it."

Tails sighed, not accepting the joke. "It's harder to make than I originally realized. And it's too risky to test it out on you when it's still in its preliminary stages."

Sonic shrugged and moved a piece on the board. "You could… still try it out on me. I trust you."

"It's not you I'm worried about. It's what Sally will do to me if I kill you by accident."

"A little shock is not gonna kill me! Your move!"

"Impatient today!" Tails giggled, taking another of Sonic's pieces with deft precision. "Sonic…"

"Yeah, buddy?"

"I don't want you to go."

"I know. I know. I'll be missing you more. Who am I going to be telling my stories too? The pasha?"

XXX

The cavern was busy. Nobody wanted to go out into a snowy wonderland and most were sitting at the bar having an ale or sitting on the benches besides the windows talking and sharing old times. The tavern was large but had a low ceiling. The lighting was limited, and so gave off a dark, but cozy atmosphere. Shadow was sitting at the bar, seemingly pondering over a cup of whatever he had ordered. Knuckles sat beside him and asked the otter bartender for a round of mead. Shadow only looked up when the guardian addressed him.

"So - Shadow, you still thinking about staying here - with these guys in Faux Forest?"

"Are you?"

"As soon as the Master Emerald's whole again, I shall return."

"I don't think I will." He looked deep into his cup, eyes hooded, "I will visit my home a few times, but it gets lonely. As for this place - I think I'm getting used to it already but there are always other places to see and visit on Mobius." He stopped short for a moment, then added belligerently, "I'll stay for as long as I need."

Knuckles wasn't keen on small talk. The bartender gave him his drink. Solemnly he sipped, eyes glazed in thought. "Shadow - you know that trip to the Wayland Mountains?"

"Of course. We went there didn't we? Pulling risk after risk?"

"Well, would you like to join us when we leave for the caves? We'll be leaving as soon as possible."

"So you think dipping him into a little pool will fix him?"

"Yes!" Knuckles cried in despair. "Yes! I want him to get better! Haven't you seen Sally lately? She's pale and tired all the time with worry. I wish I could do all this without you, Shadow. I really do. But Sonic can't. And that's why I came here to find you."

Shadow cursed in rancor. "Isn't there anybody else?"

"So, you're not coming?"

"No. I've done enough damage. I would be of no help. In fact, all I've done is made things worse for him. I will have no more of it."

Knuckles didn't know what else to say. Maybe there wasn't anything to add. The echidna stumbled out into the gelid snow, and frost and flakes sharply stung his wet nose and eyes. The light was getting stronger, but any warmth was swept into oblivion. The Mother Goddess had blown her icy breath onto the valley, and no rays from the sun could melt it.

XXX

Shadow sat, sulking. Knuckles had come in and had spoiled his mood. The warmth of the tavern seemed to rot. The laughs of the children now haunted and annoyed him instead of comforting him. He too made his departure, and paid for his drink by leaving two copper coins.

He pushed his way through the snow out in the dank open, feeling the forlorn snow and rain seep through his alluring fur. His countenance twisted into a sardonic scowl. "I'm leaving. When I'm here, they use me like a tool. When I'm here I'm relied on as if I'm one of them. When I'm here I have to help them." He kicked and lashed out at the snow with his boots, creating a long, ragged line behind him of crushed and disturbed snow.

"I've helped Sonic enough to exonerate my mistake! I've given him precious machines from the Ark and more!"

He reached his little hut and slammed the door shut, closing out all scenery of winter. Shadow shook snow from his fur and clothing, then proceeded to light a small fire in the fireplace. It was hard to gain ignition from a few flints, but soon a spark was born and a small fire began to grow in the middle of the dry logs. He sat down and pressed himself close to the fireplace, hands outstretched.

_To travel out there? In the freezing cold? When it's hard enough to keep warm in here? Sonic will be fine without me. I make no difference._

Shadow picked up a few books that he had taken from the Ark, opened up a black one with gold lettering and began to read. As he read, he began thinking more and more about Sonic. He hadn't seen him since his talk with Sally…and after sleeping with him. That hog was a fucking goner. Sonic's days of strength and prime speed were over. He was crippled and sickly.

So who was the hero now? Maybe they didn't need one anymore if Dr. Robotnik was truly dead.

Shadow turned a few pages and read a few passages on '_The reign of Solomon.'_

'_Should they sin against thee (and what man is free from sin?) and shouldst thou in thy anger give them over to an enemy, who carries them captive to a land far or near.'_

But the Bible wasn't helping.

The wind was aching and growling beyond his walls. The light was dying. The fire in the hearth crackled like the wings of a crippled dragon.

"I'd better go and see him."

He didn't want to go. Maybe it was because he was afraid to see pain. Could that be it? Seeing someone else hurting made him remember Maria.

When he left after gathering a few things, the light was fading. The sweeping snow made him sneeze. The sky above him was choked in sadness.

He knocked on Sally's door and didn't need to wait very long. She opened the door and a flood of light draped Shadow in illumination from the candles within. The princess smiled sadly, but the gesture never touched her eyes. Beyond him was a warm home filled with troubled and mixed feelings. Behind him was the snow laden world, the cold truth of nature, and the loneliness of darkness.

"Princess…?"

Emotional scars were the hardest to hide. No measure of kindness or warmth could beguile the princess from her shell.

_What am I doing here? No really. What am I really doing here? _He thought to himself.

"Shadow…" The gloom in her eyes was like a tree filled with rueful crows or like a sky leeched with thunder clouds. The bowels of the Ark weren't as complicated as Faux Forest. Or were they?

"Is Sonic here? I need to speak with him."

It felt like a long time until Sally answered. She wrapped her arms about her chest and stepped further into the light within. "He's fast asleep Shadow. But you can come in if you wish. You can discuss anything you want with me."

The offer wasn't exactly what he wanted, so he hesitated. It was barely dusk, and Sonic was asleep already? Then again he did sleep a lot now that he was poorly. He should have known.

"I'll be quick." He told her.

He walked in, and the door closed, leaving the snow to blither rampant behind the walls. A world freezing.

He followed the princess to the kitchen. The walls were yet to be decorated. It was still bare wood like the floor. Some floral designs were there, and the light from the candles and lanterns were deep and benevolent. It smothered the tumult of winter away but instead offered an inundation of discreet rue.

Sally poured hot boiled water into two cups, warmed by the stove. "Would you like some tea?" She asked in a dry, hollow whisper.

"I'm fine." He noticed that her hands were trembling. "Given him his jabs?" All he got was a hesitant nod. Hesitant, because she hated the name of them. Hated anything about them. Now that Shadow had slathered up the truth, she was only reminded by cold hard death each time they were brought up. "Can I - can I at least see him?" He persisted grimly.

She dipped a tea bag into one cup, then poured a colorful mixture of strongly smelling herbs into the other. "Yes, all right. I'll be waking him soon for his medicine anyway. I just hope you're not here for anything - drastic."

"Not at all."

When he walked into the bedroom alone, it was softly illuminated by a few candles on the table and nightstand with a small oil lamp on the window sill. Sonic was fast asleep in bed, a bed that seemed to have got a whole lot bigger. Cheeks an unhealthy white. Breathing a little strained.

He looked - so small. Drowning with blankets and patchwork quilts.

Shadow found a chair and moved it so that he could sit beside him and wait for him to wake without disturbing him.

Hating to wait on dead time, he decided to speak any way to get issues off his own chest. It was customary sometimes, to admit his anxieties while no one was listening. Mirrors were useful that way in a big lonely Ark.

"I may look like a hedgehog, but I'm not." He spoke gently to the bed sheets and a limp peach-colored hand laying on top of a gently rising chest, "we weren't even born on the same world. We have nothing in common."

_I don't care._

"You risked too much of your life. Robotnik would have destroyed himself in the end anyway. You just liked the action. I am not like that."

_Do you still need me?_

"You loved the danger. The adrenaline. It made you feel alive. It turned you on inside. Like sex never could."

_I shan't miss you when you're gone. _

He noticed that Sonic slept with one hand on his chest. He had been doing that a lot lately, as if to make sure his heart was still beating.

"So I won't be coming with you. You can do this on your own. You don't need me to hold your hand. I'm… I'm sorry, but I've done all I can. The rest is up to you."

Shadow left his chair, leant forward and touched Sonic's forehead. He was hot. His fevers were constant; sometimes they would break, only to make an unwelcoming return because of that rotting infection inside his chest.

Turning round to spy on the door to make sure no one was watching, Shadow edged the blankets away from his chest, surprised to see the bandages still wrapped around his ribcage. Was Sally still changing them? Had the incision mark healed properly?

Even in sleep, the ECG picked up abnormal traces which didn't bode well. It had been over a month since they had rescued him, and Sonic still needed concentrated oxygen. He was going through the oxygen tanks like no tomorrow, and they'd run out very soon too.

Shadow went to pull the warm blankets back up when Sonic stretched, his quills rising against the pillow before he heaved out a dreamy sigh and relaxed again, quills lowering themselves back down. A few irritating coughs troubled his lungs, and he continued to merrily sleep.

Shadow then gazed at the snow outside. The thundering snow. Pure cold, lacerating death just waiting to gobble up weaker life-forces.

Even though Sonic, unaware and innocently oblivious, was fast asleep in a heaven of toasty warmth, Shadow could almost hear his voice in his head; _'I just thought you could be strong for me. Heck I love the adventure of going out there, with or without you, but I'm too weak to do much now. I'm sorry I'm like this.'_

"I wish the emerald had worked, little one." Shadow said, his hostile exterior falling away. There was no one to see him drop his guard. Who cared? "My medicines are advanced, but they were only meant for humans. They cannot really help, except one type. I wish I had the power to save you. So in return for my failure, I will make sure you get to those caves… alive. Even if you may not come out… the same way. Death is something I am not comfortable with. The reason I didn't want to go, was because I didn't want to see you die. So I will do everything I can to keep you alive."

He pulled a watch out of his glove, leant forward and dropped the item into Sonic's open hand before folding his fingers gently over it.

Regret and remorse building in his narrowed, blood-red eyes, he remembered the hard trek in summer to the mountains to confront a mad, emerald hungry doctor.

The memories were just whispers now of ghostly remembrance. But Sonic had led them. He had protected them. He had defeated the human, the source of all their woes. Now it was someone else's turn to take that role. Someone else had to be the hero. Not for the world, but for Sonic.

Someone needed to be strong for him. That was what the blue cripple wanted.

"Sonic, I'm in."

**XXXXX **

The last night for Sonic to remain at home had finally come. Sally stood poised at the window, unable to tolerate the thought of letting her partner go on some strange quest inhibited by the shrieking winter and his condition. Sonic didn't seem to be taking it seriously. He seemed more or less determined, saying it was an adventure.

It was suicide.

Knuckles had reassured her more times than the sun rose that he'd take the best of care with him, and had finished the massive hedgehog book. Somehow, though she trusted the echidna, she still felt like it wouldn't be enough.

In less than seven hours the dawn would arrive. Sonic would leave. Maybe for the last time. Sally wanted to cry and beg for him to stay, yet the truth remained. Sonic was not going to get better on his own.

The bags were already packed. Extra blankets, a lantern and come candles. Hawthorn, plenty of food. Pouches of water. Bottles and bottles of medicine and a stethoscope. The two oxygen tanks he'd be taking on the cart were already lined up by the wall in the hallway. The small crutch also stood like a lone sentry awaiting to be used once more.

Turning her back to the abysmal snowflakes rattling against the windowpane, she returned to the bedroom with a heavy heart. Sonic glanced up at her from the little watch he had been fiddling with. A little welcoming smile creased his white muzzle behind the imprisoning oxygen mask. "What does this watch do again, Sal? I… I can't remember. It doesn't tell the time. Whenever I strap it on, it just reads the numbers 92."

He had an extra blanket draped over his tender shoulders and a hot water bottle over his lower thorax from Shadow's Ark. He was exceptionally sensitive to the cold even when the room they were in was mild. Out of the wind. All the windows shut.

"Shadow explained to me that it's a watch that measures your heart rate every minute. When you put it on your wrist, you automatically insert the wire at the bottom into your skin. Shadow assured me that it was accurate and that it sets off an alarm if your heart rate exceeds 300 beats per minute or falls below twenty."

"Ooh, nifty. I don't really want something though, that's gonna reveal _that_ much information on me."

"Getting shy now, are we? You've been putting up with the ECG all this time and that never hides anything."

"Too true." He looked up at the black machine with evident dislike. "I love that thing like I admire Robotnik. From a very safe distance and under the ocean. So, where've you been? Packing?"

Sally opened the covers and slipped in beside him, running a gentle, loving hand over his droopy ears and spines. He smiled affectionately in return. "Of course I was. If it wasn't for me you'd leave with nothing but yourself."

"Heck, I probably would." He returned to the watch, holding it up to the light and blinking at it tiredly as if it were a puzzle to something greater.

"Well, it's time we went to sleep. You have a long day ahead of you and you need a lot of rest, sweetie. Come on."

"I'll be riding in a pasha's cart anyways." He said, finally putting the watch down on his lap, "what do I need rest for?"

"For your energy. You'll be fighting against the cold, Son. Lie down. Come on, don't make me ask you again."

He sighed in disappointment and was about to drop the watch on the nightstand when Sally shook her head at him. Ears down, he strapped it to his wrist as if wearing it was purgatory.

"I wish Knuckles and Shades weren't going out of their way for me."

Sally squeezed his hand. "Why do you say that?"

"Because… because I don't want to be a burden. My friends come first. And I don't want to risk their lives just because of me. It's not right. I should be making this journey by myself. Knuckles needs to go back to the Master Emerald. And Shadow has his own affairs to take care of."

"You care about others so much that you fail to see the needs of yourself. And I love that about you. But this time, it's about you and no one else, Sonic." Blowing the candles out, Sally snuggled in beside her partner, bringing him into an embrace, hot water bottle and all. She spoke softly yet seriously into his crooked ear, "you must take it easy out there once you leave. Stay in the cart at all times. Take all of your medicine regularly and let Knuckles know if you're in pain or in any discomfort. That's an order."

Sonic rolled his eyes in the darkness and smiled. "Okay."

"Good." She didn't know what else to say. She wasn't saying farewell to him yet. No. That came tomorrow morning.

"Son, I… I love you."

"I love you too, Sal. Goodnight."

As the night brooded heftily in the sweeping darkness, Sonic sat up carefully to avoid waking his partner. Even from here, he could watch the morbid snow plummet outside the window that was situated above the desk. The whiteness came in heavy rifts and magical waves.

A fairytale of white. Silent, beckoning white.

Its beauty, cold, cruel yet simplistic and regal made him gaze fondly and gravely at it, his dull emerald eyes twinkling in return.

Winter.

It all looked like an ivory playground outside. The wind turned the snowflakes to the west, and thus they drove left and scarped across the windowpane like tiny white fairies. He was going to die in that fairytale. He was going to die in the winter's cold, unforgiving embrace. In its elegant beauty. It was hard to be afraid of something so serene and graceful. And he wasn't. He wasn't frightened of it yet. But he knew he would soon be.

_I'll embrace it._

_Before it embraces me._

He looked down at Sally's sleeping form. He felt guilty of her taking care of him all the time. She was the one who was pregnant. She was the one who was going to give birth. And soon she would be looking after a baby. He was sapping away all her strength and energy before she had even got there.

No, going out into winter's teeth was the way. The only way.

* * *

><p><strong>Dib07:<strong> Sorry for shortish chapters. They get longer as Panacea deepens. Promise.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter. Panacea really kicks off very, VERY soon.

**Chapter 9: Ignition (To Death. To Life)**

**It starts for real. The snow. The blizzards. Will they all endure the trek there... and back? Are they all strong enough?**


	9. Author's Note: The CUTS!

**Author's Note: PLEASE READ!**

**This is NOT a continuation of Panacea. For those of you who are unsure, the regular update continues Friday as normal in Chapter 9: Ignition. This is however, for readers who would like something extra to read and for those who can't wait for the next instalment of Panacea.**

**DC111 is to thank for this chapter, that had been opted from Panacea. It had been cut. Yes, cut from FFN and kept in my orginal copy. Why, you ask? Because it was too horrific. Well, for me anyways. ****DC gave me the confidence I needed to get back on track. And this is my punishment for cutting this out in the first place. ^_^ So, I owe you all an apology. I promise NOT to cut anything out again. **

**This was actually chapter 3, hedgehog priority. Because I am an idiot, I craftily spliced it from the storyline so that no one would know. And here it is. In full.**

**My fellow reviewers, I shall reply to you all on Friday in case you don't look/read this chapter. I shall leave everything in my normal update where I know you will see it. Sorry for any confusion. It's because I'm a dumb person.**

**Last warning: Don't read please! Please don't read!**

**Chapter 3: Hedgehog Priority**

**'_But on he moves to meet his latter end,_**

**_Angels around befriending virtue's friend;_**

**_Sinks to the grave with unperceived decay,_**

**_While resignation gently slopes the way;_**

**_And all his prospects brightening to the last,_**

**_His heaven commences ere the world be past.'_**

**_A Deserted Village - Goldsmith_**

"I think Faux Forest is a good, safe place." The echidna was leaning against the wooden wall of Sally's new home that he himself had crafted. In fact it was he who had made all the woodwork, including the roof, tables and chairs. "Our enemies will struggle to find this place, so long as no one trades for awhile."

"It's a lot to sacrifice, but we'll have to. There is nowhere else large enough to accommodate all the villagers," Sally returned, putting down her cup of tea and wrapping her jacket tighter about herself against the chill in the room, "and we can't move Sonic. Not for a long while."

Tails came in carrying a heavy basket of freshly picked hawthorn. He was grinning from ear to ear. "Look at what I gathered!" He boasted right away, even more pleased when they smiled at his offerings, "this forest sure is bountiful when it comes to natural medicines, huh?"

"You did good, honey." Sally picked up the basket and took it with her to the sink to start washing them. "Tails, can you cut the stalks off for me, and any leaves?"

"Sure!"

While the princess and kid were distracted, Shadow gestured for Knuckles to come over into the bedroom where the machines were loudest.

"Any more research you've done on your doctor-side?" The elder hedgehog's tone was dead serious. "You need to evaluate him. My computers can only do so much in diagnosing his condition. Well?"

Knuckles threw his paws up in mock surrender, "okay, okay! I've been reading! I have!" He added when Shadow folded his arms at him, "it's just a darn lot to take in all at once!"

It was morning, and Sonic hadn't woken since the last time. He slept like a hoglet while the machines regarded his invalid state like metal angels. With gentle paws, Knuckles turned the hedgehog onto his side while peeling back the cozy warm blankets. Before he could even initiate his task, he sadly found that Sonic had wet the sheets beneath him. And it was quite bloody.

"Moving all this machinery is going to be a bitch." Knuckles commented under his breath.

"It's designed to be moved." Shadow replied matter-of-factly, "it has wheels on the bottom and it's all solar powered, so no need for cables or batteries."

"Well, that's good to know."

The task wasn't awkward at all. With Knuckles holding Sonic as carefully as he could without jostling him around too much, Shadow moved the wide machinery through the unfinished doorway and into the spacious lounge. There they set him down in a nest of plush pillows and blankets beside a roaring hearth. While Shadow was still setting up the equipment, Knuckles checked him over as professionally as he could manage. "So, he woke up huh? Well, that's gotta be good. And he drank something? Well, I'll be."

"You do know how serious his condition is, right?" Shadow whispered in retort, mind focused on the equipment. "He won't make it to see the spring. He's too weak."

"Shadow, he's survived the first night. Sally's doing a fine job keeping him warm and stable. I say he's a breathing miracle already. I don't know how he does it, but he does. He does." Using a few cloths and what was left of the water, Knuckles cleaned between Sonic's legs, cleaning up every speck of blood and bit of urine.

Shadow paused in his work, uncertain of himself. Maybe the echidna was right… Sonic had an iron will to live. His spirit was at times stronger than his own.

"Urm… Shadow… change of topic here…" The echidna began hesitantly. Shadow, curious as to what could possibly stall Knuckles this much, turned round and glared at him.

"What?"

Knuckles rested Sonic's legs back down on the blankets after he had finished cleaning him up. "Do you think he killed Dr. Robotnik?"

"Well, what do you think?" He asked, refusing to give the emerald guardian a direct answer.

"It was certainly all planned. I can tell. Knothole was vulnerable when we left it. Outcast found us, and told us where to find the overlander. It was all planned, right from the start. Eggman wanted to take Sonic with him, and he almost has."

"Robotnik may be dead. Nothing else could have survived that blast. He only just made it out because some rocks and the emerald shielded him from blowing him to kingdom come. Besides, does it really matter right now?" Sighing, he added facetiously, "so, how is he?"

Knuckles eased a thermometer under Sonic's armpit. It was another gift from the Ark, along with a stethoscope and a bpm watch that they would give to him later, that's if he lived long enough. "His vital signs are still low. The only thing that has improved is his temperature. I haven't got the official readings yet, but last night he was hypothermic. Now his cheeks and tummy have warmed up, and he isn't so blue in the face. Keep feeding him lightly sugared water, porridge and fruit, nothing heavy on the stomach or things that take an effort digesting, so avoid things like pasta, biscuits and anything that is full of carbohydrates or else you'll be seeing it all again very shortly. At least nothing's hemorrhaging inside of him… yet."

Sally came into the room and planted a small kiss on Knuckles' cheek. The instant it was made, the echidna's face went an even brighter shade of red than his fur. "Thank you, my guardian. Thank you so much. I never had time to fully appreciate what you've done for him because of all the panic we shared yesterday. And you both looked after him the whole way to the Waylands. Even now Knuckles, you remain here, helping him, even putting him before your task of gathering up the Master Emerald. Nothing in the whole of Mobius can repay you for your kindness."

"And even if there was, I wouldn't accept it. Let's just hope Sonic pulls through. I'll leave you now. You look like you could use some sleep!"

Sally didn't feel very tired. She hadn't slept at all since Sonic had been brought back to her.

"Just remember to light your lantern if ever you need me." Knuckles reminded her, easing the thermometer out from Sonic's armpit. It was a low 28 degrees Celsius, yet still an improvement from last night. Perhaps the surgery had cooled him down too much…

Knuckles conferred with Shadow for a few moments at the doorway of her home, catching him alone before they headed out. "Shadow, I need to thank you for all the things you've done. And I apologize for having such a go at you. You sacrificed yourself… well… could have done, if you had followed through with Eggman's plans and decided to terminate Sonic. We were so tense at the time in the Wayland Mountain that we never got to properly realize our gratitude. I apologize on Sonic's behalf if he didn't seem quite himself. I'm sure he respected your decision, because at the end, he wanted to save all of us. And believe it or not, Sonic is getting marginally better, thanks to the meds. So… thanks again..."

Shadow stood there awkwardly as if he were up for a presentation at a council meeting. He had never been very good at expressing himself. "Funny you should mention this now." He replied in a deadpan tone.

"W-Why?"

"Maybe… maybe I should have done it… killed him." He locked onto the empty timber frames of half finished huts before him, unblinking.

"Are you nuts?" Knuckles cried, the sudden tension making his bandaged leg burn in pain, "what the hell, Shadow? We… we discussed this! You are… we are not…"

"…To save him from this agony he's in now…"

"You shouldn't say things like that! Holy Gods! Don't you dare…!" The anger slammed back into his eyes.

"I shouldn't have done the surgery. I regret it."

"You bastard!"

Without a further word, Shadow headed out into the gloomy morning without turning back. Knuckles hung in the doorway, one paw massaging his wounded leg, eyes narrowed. The dawn light gleamed across his lurching teeth. Had he caused Shadow's regret?

Sally turned round and went into the warm lounge where Sonic slept, snuggled and peaceful in his cuddly nest of comfort. The echidna had left Sonic sleeping on his side – a position he had said, that aided the lungs more than it did lying down on his back.

Sally was so worried for him that she was shaking. And the fact that he was eating very little was a grave concern. Sonic had always been typically slender and lithe, so if he stopped eating, it would affect him sooner since he didn't have any fat on his body to begin with.

Knuckles had sat down with her previously before he had left, his tone serious and grave. "Whatever happens, no matter what, he mustn't panic! We need to keep him calm and pain-free. That way, he should be fine. He's stable, and so long as he remains relaxed, I see no reason to be worried."

Sally hugged him then, her distress shimmering away almost at once. "Thank you, Knux."

They parted. "Just _don't_ _ever_ leave him."

Tails came in after finishing up with his chores, a little downhearted to see that Sonic had been moved and that he hadn't been told. He discerned the machinery with mistrust and fear before finally settling down beside Sonic's side, not sure if he liked Shadow's gifts from the Ark. Shadow had assured them with a stiff undertone that the machines were safe, and were often used by human hands regularly without fault. Despite his reassurances, animals tended to keep to their own habits, so the saying, '_creatures of habit'_ was very true.

"Can you look after him, Tails?" She called, reaching over to grab a wooden bucket, "I'm just going to change the sheets on the bed."

He nodded, "okay, aunt Sally."

She went into the room, ripped the soiled sheets from the bed and gathered them all up into a pile. The bucket was low on water to help her scrub out the stains. She had used what little she had on food and drink. There was a small lake in the centre of the village. If she left now, she'd be back in ten.

"Tails, just going out to get some water. Won't be long." Hauling the bucket with her, Sally opened the door with a shove and walked out into the bright, dappled sunshine. The gaiety of the morning lifted her mood ever so slightly and it helped to dry the tears on her cheeks. This place wasn't as comforting as old Knothole. There were nettles everywhere, weeds and ragwort, but it was home… for now.

She paused outside the cottage, put the bucket down and straightened her back. She had been crying and praying so hard that her throat was sore and she felt worn and fatigued all over.

Still, it was nothing but good news so far. Sonic had survived the first night after the heart surgery. There were no more hiccups yet, no scary setbacks. Even Knuckles and Shadow saw it fit to relax themselves and catch up with some sleep for the day.

Amy Rose had spotted her and was approaching her with haste. She was carrying a basket loaded with cone seeds from a stone pine. "Princess!" She yelled, "can we talk? How's Sonic?"

She smiled, lifted up the bucket and started towards her.

xxxxxxxxxx

The hedgehog, deemed a hero by many and having miraculously survived an explosion, lay under a surface he couldn't break.

'"_I played around with Snivley too, for a time until I just killed him -"'_

He felt like he had plunged down the throat of a monster, and he fell, rolling through gizzards and guts, flailing in the cranny darkness like a newborn.

Red eyes haunted the moist, wriggling shadows that penetrated the deep mantilla of his nightmares, even when he was awake.

'"_I wanted you to come all this time. I wanted to rip you apart. I was the one who opened the doors to the vent. I sent a scout of androids to corner a lowly weasel beast and made sure that he told you I was waiting in the mountains. It's a shame your friend Shadow never did his job for me, but he'll pay the price…"'_

He knew the last battle was going to be a hard one. Robotnik would give it his all. But he didn't think it would end like this.

"I - I killed you -" Sonic spoke. The Master Emerald - the light - the power ring - the terrible pain that made his body scream. "You're supposed to b-be dead -"

Something large yet long and slender yawned in the blackness like some seething demon. Yet was gone in an instant, like a flash of lightening.

"_Am I?"_

"Yes." He held his head, his vision doubling. All this was over. It wasn't happening. He was back in Knothole! He had been rescued! He had seen Knuckles again!

There was nothing sane here. There was no comfort. No voice guiding him through the blackness of this hell.

A slow, lambent tune of mellowed laughter, cruel and sinter rumbled deep in the pit of the nightmares. An eerie, familiar green glow inexorably grew in the trembling walls, revealing long snake-like tentacles climbing over the chamber ceiling and partitions like retching, malodorous insects.

"_I - I shall never die -! Ha! Never my darling rodent! My little doll! You will remember me always! As the one who controlled your life! As the one who made you suffer!"_

Some of the miasmal tentacles dropped away from the walls and disappeared into the cloying shadows on the floor so that Sonic could not see them.

"You're in hell. I'm - I'm just dreaming -" He lurched forward but he fell. It was as if his legs were made out of jelly and he had to bring his arms up to shield his face from hitting the intestinal floor. "You're nothing - nothing but a memory. You're not real."

The laughter stopped and a deep-seated hate seethed in the room. _"Is this real enough for you?"_

At once a dark human form charged out of the blackness like a bull. The tentacles rode at his side like soldiers from hell.

Sonic came face to face with Robotnik. The human's eyes glowed bright, blood red. His face was chiseled black, showing the gaunt skeleton underneath layers of rotting fat that rolled down his face like slugs.

"_You are mine, hedgehog! And I shall prove it!"_

With that, he lurched forward, grabbing Sonic in one hand. The landscape changed, even when Robotnik remained. Winter cooed here, sullen and unforgiving. Like the metal in his chest.

Water rushed in from all sides. The overlander laughed wickedly as he held Sonic under the surface of a frozen lake. The hedgehog squirmed and fought, trying to scream but not having the breath to deliver it. As a final measure, Robotnik slammed a wedge of metal straight through his chest. The water blossomed into a deep cerise. Pain within erupted.

He broke the surface.

xxxxx

The little blue hedgehog lurched upright in his warm fleece nest, panting but finding himself unable to force air into his lungs. He was beside a lit fireplace, yet the steady warmth did not touch his inner coldness as terrible, wet chills of fever wracked his heart and body. He couldn't breathe. He was suffocating, and didn't know why.

"Sonic! Hey! Calm down, it's your bro! I'm going to lay you back down now!" Having been daydreaming while waiting for Sally's return, the kitson had been making invisible circles with his fingertip on Sonic's bandaged arm. With no prior warning, the blue hedgehog had struggled awake, even as much as sitting up, which had surprised the two-tailed fox.

Luckily he had been right there. Quickly beside him now, he wrapped his arms around Sonic's shaking body and gently guided him back down to rest on the fleecy heaven Sally had made. With great care, he recovered him with the blankets, startled to hear the ECG machine whine with accelerated blips.

Sonic could see the fire crackling away in the hearth a few yards from him in a room he did not recognize. He could smell medicines, sweat and fear. It soaked the air like death.

"Sal… Sal… can't breathe…"

Tails did a quick mental check of the ventilation system. The tubes weren't tangled; the oxygen tank was at least three-quarters full, and the mask equipped over his muzzle was on tight. "Sally's not here, she's outside getting some water, Sonic."

"Can't… breathe…"

"I bet you can. Please just relax and take a nice, deep breath. I know you can do it!" His voice cracked despite his conviction. Nervous, he looked around behind him to see if Sally had come back yet. He was sadly mistaken.

What really gave him a start was the giant ECG machine. It began giving off a consistent, highly strung alarm that drowned out the bleeping heart monitor. For a second Tails stupidly thought that perhaps the Ark device was low on battery power, or some failure had occurred within the mechanism. He only realized why it was going off when he turned back to his brother.

Sonic's hands and feet shook spasmodically while he choked and coughed, his chest not rising as it should. His nose erupted into a heavy nosebleed.

Warm tears rushed down Tails' cheeks. He reached out and tried to hold him. "Easy, Sonic, easy! Want me to get help?"

He didn't know what to do. It was not wise restraining him, but as he tried to curl up (perhaps in a weak effort to escape the pain); he fell into a crippling seizure. Blood poured out his mouth to combine with the fluid trailing out of his nose while his body collapsed into convulsions of which Tails had never seen and never wanted to.

"Sonic!" He screamed, rising over him, but not having a clue what to do, "can you hear me? Sonic!"

After a few tense moments, the violent convulsion slowly released him, and he lay exhausted on his stained pillows, chest insanely fighting for air. With his eyes locked shut, he gave out a primal squeal, a petrified noise only a trapped, dying animal would make.

Tails' blood went ice cold.

"I'm… I'm going to get help!" He cried shrilly – hysterically, "just hold on!"

He jumped up and ran.

Leaving him.

What else could he do? He did not know how to help him without making the hedgehog worse.

The fox broke out of the cottage like a charging hare, screaming, "help! Somebody, anybody, please! HELP!"

There weren't many animals in the forest. Most had done to collect food, catch fish or to seek out timber.

Knuckles, half asleep, staggered in the doorway of a shared accommodation, having no place of his own and refusing to settle as he still had his own duties to attend to. But when he heard the young kitson scream, a wave of doom and trepidation hurled through his insides. "Sonic!"

Shaking himself awake, he ran over to the floundering fox who was on the edge of hysteria. The panic and dismay he was feeling geared up a notch when he saw the alarm in the kitson's eyes. "Tails, what's wrong? Is it True Blue?"

"Yes! Please, please help him!"

His speed would have made the hedgehog proud. Charging into Sally's cottage like a loose hurricane, he stampeded into the lounge, nose already drinking in the stench of blood and urine. Sonic lay twitching and choking while every attached machine in there was screaming with alarms.

_This isn't good._

The echidna threw himself down at his side and instantly knew what to do. It was just as well he had poured over that hedgehog book earlier; otherwise it might have been a different story.

Knowing that hedgehogs liked touch for security, Knuckles didn't even hesitate for a moment when he rested his giant paws over his cold body.

"Easy, True Blue. It's me, Red. You're gonna be okay, I've got you. Just relax for me if you can, because if you tense up, you'll only make the convulsions worse, okay?"

It was hard to tell if Sonic was even listening. Either way, he worked fast, pulled the offending blankets away and eased Sonic onto his side, trying to overcome his own fear as his little friend despairingly spilled into fierce, painful seizures. He lifted Sonic's chin higher to help gain a better airway for him, then he moved his paw over his heaving chest to feel his heart.

"Don't tense. Come on, Sonic, work with me. Breathe. Just breathe." Despite the tubes, ventilation and oxygen tank, he was barely using it. It was like his lungs had forgotten how to work. Either that, or he was in too much pain to expand them.

The seizures freed the hedgehog, leaving him wheezing horrifically, his sides heaving in terrible effort to draw in hardly any air. Knuckles grit his teeth and looked over for any medicine. There was nothing close by for him to take. The ECG revealed more bad news. The normal patterns from the electrical current of his heart started to waver even more abnormally, the trace lines violently bobbing up and down. Knuckles knew the pattern from his book.

Atrial fibrillation.

He tore himself away long enough to look for Shadow's syringes. He attacked a dresser drawer from when he had seen the elder hedgehog use earlier. Sure enough his search was rewarded when he located syringes already labeled and loaded with medicine for use. He looked for one with a label scrawled in lura for _strong painkillers._

He picked it up and knelt by Sonic's side. Without further ado, he squeezed out the air bubbles in it before inserting the medicine straight into the I.V line in all hope that it would be delivered straight into Sonic's system.

Once all of the painkilling fluid was injected, Knuckles chucked away the empty syringe and massaged the tiny hedgehog, wrapping one arm under him and clasping him into a firm embrace in a desperate bid to calm him down.

"Stay with me, you dozy hog." He whispered into his floppy ear, unable to iron out the sorrow that filled his every word, "you aren't called a hero for nothing. I'm right beside you. Breathe for me. Nice and slow." He mentally pleaded for Sonic to listen through his own confusion and shock, "Sonic, look at me." His eyes remained shut. His heart rate displayed on the ECG hadn't changed. "Sally's coming! And I'm here. I'm not losing you, do you hear me?"

_Surely the painkillers _must_ be working by now?_

The hedgehog's distressed respiration was still collapsing. The terrible wheezes were turning into strangled gurgles. Chest scarcely rising.

Frantic, Knuckles rose up again and ran his paw roughly up and down Sonic's bandaged sternum to try and coax him to breathe. Natural stimulation was often the key. If he was panicking, he needed help in order to kick-start his breathing. Stroking him like this also would warm him up. "Breathe! You're not giving up on me! Not after all we've been through together! Not like this! I won't have it!" It felt like he was shouting at himself. He was so angry. He didn't know how to stop Sonic's downward spiral. "What would Shadow think? Come on, breathe for me, _please!_ Breathe!"

Another convulsion struck the dying hedgehog, and Knuckles cried out, knowing that these seizures were wringing the life out of him and could not be stopped. Tears were flowing down his eyes. He hadn't read enough of the book to know what to do anymore.

Now he knew exactly how Tails felt. Paralyzed by his own helplessness.

"Breathe. Please… breathe for me…. Just breathe…"

Sonic came out of it abruptly and lay far too limply in Knuckles' arms like a ragdoll. His chest didn't even attempt to rise.

Before it fully hit him, the ECG machine confirmed it. The traces on the screen flat lined and the pounding alarm suddenly stopped along with it.

The guardian choked.

"_Shit!_ No!"

Even if Sonic had given up the fight, the echidna wasn't ready to.

Angry and devastated, fear leaping up into his senses and threatening to consume him, he turned Sonic over so that he lay on his back and moved him over to the ground, away from the blankets. _Where the hell were the others? Was Shadow still sleeping? Was Tails still out there, crying? Where the hell was Sally?_

Using two fingers instead of his great heavy fists that would be too large for the delicate task to perform the successive chest compressions, he began to count each push, hoping that he wasn't pushing down too hard or too lightly. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation was one of the key things he had learned when he was younger, having first joined Sonic in their battles. True, he had never applied it before now, but he knew exactly what to do. The only tricky part was how on Mobius he was going to copy Sonic's normal heart rate.

Easing the mask off, and cursing profusely, he counted nine more fast compressions before bending down and breathing into Sonic's unresponsive lungs while pinching his nose shut. Out from the corner of his eye he watched Sonic's bandaged chest rise and fall accordingly, which was good because that meant there were no obstructions.

He leaned back, recommencing the compressions and swearing endlessly under his breath in his ancient echidna tongue. The ECG continued to show the dreaded flat line after each compress.

Sally and Tails burst into the room at that moment. When the princess saw Sonic being given CPR, she screamed and backed into a table, knocking off a vase and a stack of books. From there on, her screams continued as if she had just seen someone perform a murder. Shadow strolled in like a savior, instantly clutching the princess in his adamant grip. "Shut up and calm down!" Her cries softened, and she collapsed against his weight.

Knuckles looked up for a daring second after exhaling deeply into Sonic's little lungs. "Someone, grab the fucking defibrillator!"

The overlander equipment, like everything else Shadow had bought, was stacked up like loose junk in the corner of the lounge. Even now, Sally was afraid to use it.

"That stuff is evil!" The princess cried, "it's made for forerunners! Not creatures like us!"

"It's his only chance!" Knuckles barked, furious with her.

Shadow left Sally sitting up against the wall before hurrying over, lugging the equipment with him. Tails dropped beside the princess, weeping. He didn't look over. He didn't dare.

While Shadow set up the solar-powered defib-units, Knuckles counted the compressions and checked for a pulse, thinking that the ECG machine might not be able to detect a heartbeat that was too weak.

His disappointment grew.

Sonic's lips were almost as blue as his fur. Muzzle ashen grey. His skin cold as winter frost.

Shadow flicked the 'on' switch to calibrate the machinery that gave out a low static hum. Not wasting time, he grabbed the two defibrillator pads and shoved Knuckles away with his boot. Without saying a word or uttering a prayer, Shadow placed each of the two pads on either side of Sonic's chest. After one second of delay, it automatically sent an electrical current into him. The jolt sent Shadow back while the delivered shock of energy went to do its job. The ECG machine showed a weak flare of activity, and Shadow watched the trace in disbelief and suspicion. He was right to do so. The trace flat lined again.

"Try it one more time!" Knuckles cried, "that's the best progress we've made! Don't give up!"

"Who said I would?" He snarled, his own distress coming out as aggression. For a second time he placed the pads down, and the same delivered amount of shock jolted Sonic's frail system.

The trace, weak and wobbly, came on.

"Get him breathing!" The elder hedgehog snapped while he dug out syringes from a satchel that had been clipped around his waist like an ammunitions belt. In his panic, Knuckles had not noticed it before now. In one fist, he had taken out an adrenaline drug, in the other, the pink capsule of the heart booster.

While Knuckles massaged his chest and breathed into him, Shadow eased the syringe's needle between the hedgehog's ribs. His accuracy was superb and inhuman. Sliding the needle in place, he eased it into his heart without any need for ultrasound to guide him. Squeezing the capsule down, the fast-acting drug was inserted easily into the beating muscle without breaking a sweat. Puzzled and worried, Knuckles couldn't help but ask, "what does that do to him?"

"Keeps his heart beating, coupled with the booster. It's the only way or else he'll most probably flat line again. We then must determine the underlying cause as to why he's suddenly like this. We need time."

Getting Sonic to breathe on his own posed a big problem now that they had got his heart restarted. Massaging his throat and chest didn't prove to be beneficial, and so Knuckles lay the comatose hedgehog across one arm and slapped his back as hard as he could. The violent force startled his diaphragm, and in turn, his lungs started working again.

With a grunt of satisfaction, Shadow slapped the oxygen mask back over his nose and mouth, tying it so that it couldn't fall off. Only then did they risk lying him back down so that they could swaddle him in his blankets.

"Tails, hot water bottles, now." Knuckles croaked; the fight to keep Sonic alive had exhausted him, mentally and physically.

Sally gingerly came forwards, her eyes red from crying so hard. "Is he…?"

"Stable again, until we find out what went wrong." Shadow said, his voice strong and confident as if he was discussing the morning report. His heartbeats are steady, breathing on the slow side. But he's very cold and hypothermic. Keeping him warm right now is a must. Echidna, throw some more logs into that hearth."

Ignoring the name, for he was too shocked to full comprehend anything right now, he complied and threw some of the spare logs into the fire with shaky paws.

"Tails said Sonic was panicking and convulsing. Did you try stroking the back of his neck?" Shadow then asked, his eyes firm and cold when the emerald guardian looked down at him.

"No. I forgot, okay! He just stopped breathing! I didn't realize! Besides," he added, getting angrier now, "Sonic was left alone with Tails! Where were you Princess? I told you to _never _leave him!"

"It was just for a bucket of water!" She cried, face in her hands. "We then ran to get Shadow! I'm so sorry!"

"You should be apologizing to your mate! Not me!" The echidna roared, "why did_ you_ leave him?"

"Echidna!" Shadow snapped at him, "get yourself together! We need to find out what went wrong! Now!"

Sally reached down, and numb in body as well as spirit, gently cleaned the spilled blood on Sonic's face and under his nose before putting the mask back on.

"Has the blood work come through yet?" Knuckles queried. He was going through sheets and sheets of evaluation, most of which were utter gibberish.

"No. Give it another hour."

It was that time of worry again, where Sonic was so far stable, but it was still a race against time to diagnose him, so at least that way once they knew what was wrong, they had a means on how to help him efficiently without having to rely on guess work.

"I assume it's because of the surgery." Knuckles persisted while Shadow was busy typing away on his laptop, another alien artifact from the Ark, "it's the most accurate prognostication of what he's been through. There's no great mystery, while we waste time trying to sum up an answer from these machines!"

"If that is your case," Shadow said idly, not lifting his attention once from his laptop screen, "then why did everything go well at first after the surgery? Only to suddenly go downhill? There's something wrong, and it may or may not have anything to do with the operation. If it is to do with the surgery, we can't fix it. However, I think the job I performed on him was rather well-done."

"If he gets better… we don't have to worry. We can move on, he can recover. Robotnik is dead. Everything will be fine. However, if he is still sick…"

"There's a cure. There's always a cure."

"He's been rubbing off on you, ya know, Mr. Happy."

Shadow snorted and didn't comment. His eyes were snapping left and right as he read his screen's information with tight concentration. Knuckles came over with his armload of paperwork and tried to spy what Shadow was reading. However his endeavors didn't go as planned. The reports that Shadow was reading was all in forerunner, as that was Shadow's first, real language.

"What is that you're delving into?" He asked.

"Nothing." He stated. "You should be researching too on what might be the matter. Doesn't that hedgehog book tell you anything?"

Knuckles shrugged and went back to his paperwork.

* * *

><p>Dib07: Yeah. Horrific. Anyways, everything will be back to normal on Friday. See ya then! And no throwing bricks, please!<p> 


	10. Chapter 9 Ignition

**Dib07: I have to say, I am really, really staggered at the amount of readers I am getting. I NEVER expected this. I honestly feel like you are all right there for Sonic and guiding him on. It's a shame he won't be able to hear your support, but if he did he'd love it. Panacea has now started, good or bad, health or sickness. This chapter is a lot more from Sonic's POV and there will be more to come from his side. And thank you all for enjoying this, whatever happens. You are with Sonic, and that is what matters.**

**StormTR: **Thanks so much dude! Love what you said more than you'll know! I'm interested too to see how you'll think they'll get on! And does Sonic even know the kind of conflict between these two? XD

**Meowtastix: **Don't worry, you're in the same boat as Shadow, and Sonic no doubt. Water? What the hell is water gonna do? OMG! Sonic reminding Shadow of Maria: because of the pain he's experiencing all over again. Maria had an illness to, an incurable one. Plus how she died... painfully. Shadow will never forget how she went. :(

**Storm337: **You're in too? Awesome! I hope you can keep up the pace! And be stay strong for Sonic! LOL!

**DanceDream: **That song is interesting. Love the first part. Lol winter. Try listening to Matt Cardle Run for Your Life. THAT is Panacea in a nutshell, and explains Sonic selflessness and how strong he will remain, even when he's left behind and how he will keep getting back up, even after he's been hit. Epic. I'm gonna go listen to it again. So, you think Sonic will be fine? Ouch! Arrow right there! Panacea is NOT a happy story, dear one. It is full of blood and tears. I promise nothing except a casket. Whether it will remain empty or not is not up to me, but yeah, don't forget those warnings from chappie one! Everything is still in full effect and nothing has actually happened to Sonic yet except the surgery. So I've planted seeds of doubt, huh? Yup! Yup! And I do LOVE this that you said: 'I don't know whether to side with Knuckles on Team It's-Gonna-Work, or with Sally and Shadow on Team It's-Madly-Crazy.' I couldn't have said it better myself! Awesome! Thanks for your compliments, DanceDream. I know you love my work, and you hate/love how not everything is as it seems in Panacea! I want Christmas too! XD And no, a double review never bothers me one bit! I LOVED your review on 'I'll Be Right Here,' and I will reply to it on the story update! I hope you like what I have in store! And FullRings is an amazing artist indeed. That is one gorgeous picture! But thanks again, DanceDream, amazing review on my Sonic X fic. I have been re-reading it!

**Fire Shiell: **Awww, so you think the pools won't work either? LOL Knuckles won't be pleased! He'd knock you all out! XD But if you do... that's funny too. I love keeping everyone in suspence!

**Added note and warning:**

**Keep in mind that I do not support character beliefs.**

**The lyrics that are in Sonic's thoughts in italics are from Linkin Park. You'll know when you see them. The ones in bold are Sonic's.**

**Chapter 9: Ignition (To Death. To Life.)**

'_Where are we?_

_What the hell is going on?_

_The dust has only just begun to fall._

_Crop circles in the carpet._

_Sinking_

_Feeling.'_

_Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek_

"Ha! What are you wearing?" Sonic pointed and stared at Shadow, renting the still air with his barking chuckles, "you look like a heap of rubbish on legs!"

As it so happened, Shadow had turned up wearing all the gear intended to keep out the cold. This included mittens, proper walking boots and a thick red scarf. But it was his bulky black coat and pants that had Sonic so worked up. Knuckles too was wearing a coat and boots, but nothing more. He was a lot hardier to the weather, as his kind tolerated most climates, or at least used to, until they became extinct.

"So ugly!" Sonic bent down to laugh, coughing and wheezing like an asthmatic, yet still giggling like a child.

"How'd you get this joker into the cart?" Shadow inquired while Knuckles loaded up the supplies into the cart beside the laughing hedgehog. Sacks of grain took up much of the space alongside the oxygen tanks and tent gear.

Thunder, the pasha, stood calmly outside the pen, all harnessed and ready to go.

With the thick snow crunching under his feet, Shadow stepped forward and helped the echidna with the rest of the supplies.

"Honestly, pretty easily. Look up there." Knuckles pointed at the sky. It was clear unlike last night. The sun was strong, deceptively fooling anyone that this could incite good weather. But clear skies almost always meant more snow on the way.

The pasha looked rather absurd to them with so much attire. Not only did it have a saddle made out of cloth, it had metal buckles and strapped with rope and leather, all from Chicory. The cart the pasha was attached to was completely wooden with no sign of rot in it. It only had two wheels at the rear, and was just large enough to accommodate one, maybe two passengers while the rest of the space was devoted to supplies.

"Surely this is a blessing?" Tails asked, coming up in his own winter gear to keep from getting too cold as he saw Sonic off. "The weather's really good, and it's so mild for once. This will give you a head start!"

"This is all so sudden." Sally sighed. "I wish I could come. This is so unfair… if I wasn't pregnant…"

"My dear princess, he's in the safest of paws." Knuckles interjected kindly, "I know where to go. I know any terrain. I have vast knowledge of survival. And Shadow is with us, which means that if we run into any trouble at all, you've got the best fighters on hand."

"I do trust you Knuckles. I never said I didn't. You saved Sonic and you know what to do if it ever happens again. I'm just going to miss him every second."

"I know you will. That's why we're returning him as quickly as we can, you have my word."

The princess hugged him tiredly, "make sure he has his medicine. And make sure he doesn't miss a single meal. I know it sounds silly but he's so underweight a missed meal can do some serious damage."

"I've got it covered."

"Maybe I should come too? Please?" Quipped Tails.

"Another volunteer will only prove more dangerous." Sally groaned, releasing her embrace. "And it'll drain the supplies faster."

The freedom fighter looked mortified, and didn't say anymore.

_I've gotta say goodbye to them properly_, Sonic thought, _can't sit in this cart forever._

He shifted his legs to the back of the cart and swung his legs over the side. Saying goodbye certainly wasn't his style. Seeing them all this sad wrenched him so bad.

"Sonic…" Tails walked over to him through the crunching snow. "I'm going to miss you so much. What will I do?"

"Look after Sal and keep Faux Forest safe, lil buddy. I already told ya, I shan't be gone long. When the wind blows, I'll be back."

"I'll be waiting, right here for you, Son." Sally came and stood beside the worried kitson. "You've battled the iron monsters of this planet. You've thwarted every abomination. You've defeated the shadows and ended a dark Lord's reign. Now all I'm asking is that you come back to me. You are my hero and I expect you to return."

Sonic gave her a mock salute. Goodbyes really weren't his strong point. However, reality only swept Sonic from his thoughts when Sally came and took him into a dear, loving hug.

_Sal, I'm going to miss you. Just like before. But this time there's no guarantee that I'm coming back._

"Sal…"

She cuddled into him tightly, tears welling up in her sapphire eyes.

The world fell deaf about them. It was just them for those brief moments. All troubles were lost in a swirl of partings and goodbyes. When she finally parted, Tails roped him into another hug. The kitson was trembling. Tails wanted nothing more to come with him, and hated the rebuttal of that answer. Nothing was fair anymore.

"Sonic," Sally said, having a lump covered in blankets passed from Amy to her, "do you want to use this to help defend yourself?" She presented him with a bow and a quiver of arrows from the dusty blankets. It was a long elder bow, formally used by echidnas to hunt at long range. It was made from elder wood that was chestnut brown with smooth lines.

"I cannot." He said with difficulty, "I do not use weapons. I'm sorry."

"But without Shadow or Knuckles, you'll be defenseless!"

"They'll look out for me. Nothing will bring them down."

She was definitely agitated at his response; however she seemed to push the subject aside, for she added frostily, "never take that cardiac watch off. I know you don't like it, but without the reliable ECG machine, there's nothing else to show what your heart is doing."

"Apart from keeping me alive? Yes!" He rolled his eyes when she didn't relent, "I promise never to take it off!"

Everyone had come out of their homes to wave them farewell.

Shadow looked impatient as he and Knuckles waited.

_They can afford a few minutes. I certainly can._

He gestured Tails over with his finger. The kitson complied straight off the mark, trying to smile, and unable to do it quite right. "Buddy, there's something I gotta say. Between you and me. Come close to that no one will hear." The little brother leaned towards him, upset, puzzled and confused. "Don't follow me, bro. Whatever happens. I know you'll try, by plane or on foot. Promise me you won't. I gotta do this. Have faith in me. This is my battle."

Tails hesitated, eyes blinking as he processed his answer. "I will, if you promise you'll win."

After waving goodbye, Sonic snuggled into the cart, weighed down with his thick heavy coat, mittens and hat that covered his fluffy, drooped ears. He waved to them, smiling and crying out farewell. The cart wheels made heavy rifts in the snow, but the going was easy, as the snow was soft and powdery. Knuckles walked beside the pasha, leading it forward. Shadow walked on the other side, dragging his feet through the snow and leaving large boot prints.

The blue hedgehog continued to wave, throwing up both his arms until the village became too small and he could no longer see his princess and little brother.

The trees closed over the village like a thorny curtain and soon Sonic knew that they weren't going to turn back now for a really long time.

The cart lurched forwards in its own steady gait that rocked gently over the rough terrain. The cold, snowy world out here seemed insensitive. Unpromising. And full of death. The weak sun gloated over a frozen world where not even the sullen, wet cold could chase away Sonic's feverish chills.

He let out a long sigh and watched a long stream of breath freeze in the air.

"Echidna," Shadow murmured softly as they pounded onward, quiet enough to not be overheard by Sonic, but loud enough to be overheard by the pasha's hooves crashing through the pale snow, "what do we do without any defibrillators?" For they were too bulky and heavy to carry, on top of which bringing it with them would only terrify their patient to death.

"Easy." Knuckles replied while looking out ahead, "we don't think about it."

The icy world around them was glittery and imposing. Every rock, tree and hill sat sharply against the gelid, malicious sky. Except for the whine and squeak of the wheels as they turned, their environment was ascetically silent and dead. The nights would be worse. How could they escape the cold then?

As Knuckles walked on, he thought in despair; _this is no country for a sick hedgehog._

"The good thing about winter, is that all the water freezes! How cool is that?" Sonic remarked from his high vantage point, "so… what are in these Sentient Caves exactly?"

"Huh, talking about water," Knuckles replied optimistically, "the caves contain these pools that have the potent healing effect. Our ancestors at one stage used it frequently. We'll dip you into the water and you'll be as good as new."

"You didn't say anything about that part…" Sonic's doubt and irritation were obvious.

"Yes, because I fully understand your aversion to water, and suspected you might pull out of this expedition because of it. Ah come on!" He added, gazing around long enough to catch the morbid expression on Sonic's pale face, "you'll be fine! I'll hold you tight when you go in… if submersion is even required. You'll be safer than washing in a bathtub."

"Wait, so what you're actually saying is that having a bath_ is_ dangerous?"

Shadow slapped his forehead. Though Knuckles tried to help many a situation, he often made it worse.

The snowy valley was infinite. They left the shelter of Faux Forest and out into flat country where the wind harbored dark intentions. Less than fifteen minutes into their journey, and Sonic leaned forward in the cart, hands clutching the sides. "Red, can I flex my legs for just a minute?"

"Request denied." Was his rebuttal.

Sonic looked from Shades, back to the bright red echidna again. He wasn't very strong and incapable of standing without help; however sitting in the cart was a tedious at best. It also felt wrong to sit here and relax while the other two toiled onwards without rest.

Another five minutes passed and the rocking motion of the cart was sending him to sleep. Trying to shake his droopy mind awake, he clipped off the plastic mask, turned off the oxygen and sat at the very back of the cart, admirably discerning the white pass beneath the turning wheels. He leaned down just enough to scoop some snow into his gloved hand. He proceeded to form it with his fists into a ball. Bouncing it in his hand, he pivoted round in the cart and smacked the snowball into the back of Shadow's head.

Enraged, Shadow flipped round, eyes glistening to a darker shade of angry red as if his killer instincts had just overridden his systems. When he locked onto Sonic, his bristling fur softened along with his pronounced snarl.

The cart unexpectedly stopped and without the creaky churn of the wheels, Sonic felt as if he had suddenly gone deaf.

Knuckles looked round, his breath steaming in the air. "Did you just…" A second snowball leveled his face, and he took a disgruntled step back, paws frantically wiping at the snow while Thunder stood patiently between them.

Prostrated, the echidna jumped onto the cart with superb agility, making the entire wooden frame crack and whine under his glossy weight. Sonic jerked upright in surprise before cowering beneath the echidna's huge, overpowering shadow.

"It was fun…"

Knuckles put both his massive paws on Sonic's shoulders, his eyes glinting darkly. "You're_ not_ taking this seriously! You need to start looking after yourself a lot more and to stop wasting your own time!"

Sonic regarded him with a shade of guilt behind his fading emerald eyes. "But…"

"Do that again and I'll pinch your ears. Hard."

"You know that it's illegal to know that much about hedgehogs?"

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "Just take it easy, okay? No more snowballs. No more complaining. And no more fidgeting. We've got a cave to get to."

The cart got moving again, and Shadow had refused to gaze back at the blue hedgehog.

The world was drained of all color. Just black and white. It made Sonic's eyes water just to look at Knuckles who was a bright, vibrant red against the chalky white snow.

But he couldn't stand boredom. He was desperate for something to happen. He was wishing for Arbiters. Badniks. Any kind of action, even if it meant hitting Shadow with snowballs.

It was easier for them. They had the strength to plan, take action, roar with command. Running was his vindication. His cure. And now it had been taken from deep inside.

_If I could change, I would._

_**I want to run**_

_Wounds so deep… they never show…_

_**Where miles are but seconds away**_

_I hate feeling so…._

_**Where freedom is matched only by the pace**_

… _so helpless…_

_**To run**_

_It's easier to run…_

_**From this pain**_

… _and I …. I cannot…._

…_.._

XXX

They had conquered a whole day's travel with great success. With the winter days short and feral, the sun dropped away like a heavy cannon ball and the darkness rattled out her aching bones. Knuckles and Shadow knocked the pegs into place, put the tent up and snuggled the rugs, mattresses and blankets inside, along with their vital provisions. Thunder was tied to the trunk of an ash tree and given a sack of hay to nibble at in the shelter of a small, sparse woodland. It had been a good place as any to set up camp. There were no fresh signs of creatures passing, no hunting tracks or recent disturbance from any kind. Not even overlander.

With the sun having utterly decayed into the far western hills, they snuggled into the tent, still a fair distance from the Badlands, so it was still safe to use plenty of lighting without being menaced with the thought of being seen by lurking enemies.

Though Sonic had done no walking of any kind, he looked more tired than they did. His quills drooped about as much as his ears, and he sank into his feather pillows and blankets with the crutch safety laying beside his leg.

Warming up the soups from the fiery pot in the centre of the tent, Knuckles served out their dishes and dug into his ravenous lust. They had not stopped to eat, only to drink from their pouches that had been tainted with salt to keep it from freezing. So vital was it to get to the caves before the weather... or Sonic… got any worse.

The wind had lost its virulent edge and luckily the sky hadn't offered up more snow. The going had gone very well. It was like a good dream before the nightmare.

"We're heading for White Haven first," Knuckles exclaimed, licking the tasty remains of the soup from his spoon, "it's a village very concealed, like Knothole once was. Before Angel Island became such, echidnas used to come and go through White Haven."

"Is White Haven really that old? And why do we need to go there?" Shadow, finished with his own bowl, put it down gently. Sonic on the other hand wanted second helpings. The lashing cold day had instilled an appetite in him, of which Knuckles was more than happy to please. Unable to hide his happiness, the echidna served him up another portion with a crooked grin on his face.

"White Haven is a hard place to find. Even Arbiters can't seek the village out, and believe me, they've tried. Centuries ago a group of animals used holes in the sides of hills at first. Then they decided to dig into the rock to build a bigger system. White Haven is a safe place, one of few. We can rest there for a night in warmth before moving on again. Trust me, by then we'll need the break."

"What are these creatures?" Shadow inquired with genuine interest.

"They like to call themselves the Uagurs," which in lura means; 'Tree Bearers,' "they live in huge caves now where if a siege or an attack were to happen, it would prove too hard to get to them. They live on the fringes of the Badlands close to Feral Wood. This way, being so close has led to their success. Not even old fart-arse Robotnik realized that animals he despised have lived all these years on his lands. So, with ease, the Uagurs have lived comfortably undetected by badniks and other scum since the beginning."

Shadow snorted in something that could have been disbelief. He glared at Knuckles seriously. So much so, it looked unnerving. "Is this even wise? Wasting our time there? Do you even know these creatures? They could have become Arbiters themselves, and if they aren't, keeping a large town secret is unthinkable and not possible. They could all be dead right now, utterly destroyed like Knothole."

"I've been there," Knuckles wasn't offended by Shadow's affronted nature. The elder hedgehog's main regard was Sonic, and it was this that was powering his questions and caution, "and their secrecy as a society has its prices. They have no trade. Ever. No connection to the outside world for that matter. They are more primitive than us and believe that glow worms are their gods. They think that hiding is everything. No one can leave their town without permission from their chief. Chiefs are decided by strength. Whoever fights the strongest through combat is considered the next leader and wins the right to mate. It's barbaric. They also interbreed."

"So long as they have good beds, I don't care." Shadow retorted haughtily.

Sonic stretched across his plush cushions, stomach full of food. "How far is this White Haven?"

"Not terribly far. Two days, depending. But we'll _all_ get there. Fortunately my ancestors made a partnership with them, so I know exactly where they are. Not many do." He caught Sonic admiring the black watch strapped to his wrist. By now the blue hog had changed into his padded starry pajamas, something he may not have needed in the winter because of the warmth his fur locked in, but due of his weakened state, clothing was now necessary to keep him from becoming hypothermic.

"Blue," the echidna called from the opposite end of the tent, "can you come over here so that I can see your watch, please?"

While Shadow turned away from the small fire in the middle to get his bedding out ready, Sonic shrugged lightly and said, "uh yeah, it reads 125 b.p.m."

"I still want to see it. Hold on, I'm coming over."

"Why do you need to do that? I just told you!"

Grunting, the echidna barged into Sonic's soft, make-shift bedroom, upsetting the organization of pillows as he leaned across them. Sonic inched his wrist away, clearly having something to hide. His ears would have been flat against his skull if they hadn't been so limp.

"Let me see!"

"You're not my doctor."

"I sure am. I have been specially qualified by the princess herself."

"What?"

Knuckles loved how surprised he looked. Reaching out, he grabbed his hand and pulled it towards him. At this point, Sonic had given up the fight, knowing that he had already lost this one, and hopelessly gave his hand to the echidna.

Angling the glass panel in the watch to the firelight, the red digital numbers revealed 290. Many, many thoughts wildly whizzed through the guardian's mind and he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood. Lying about the watches' numbers clearly showed that Blue was quite capable of avoiding the truth. Lying in this instant might mean nothing, or that Sonic was more than ready to hide how he was feeling.

_Do I tell him off?_ Knuckles thought desperately. _Or will that make him resent me more?_

He went with his gut instinct. "It's not nice to lie. Are you… hurting somewhere?"

The question seemed too personal for him, and thus Sonic naturally evaded the subject. "You embarrass me! Of course it's gonna be higher! I'm too worried what you're gonna think!"

Knowing that he'd get no results, Knuckles let him off, thinking about getting the stethoscope. However, simple touches stressed the hedgehog out too much, even if said touches required little examination. Perhaps another night. "I'm sorry, Blue. Let's all get some sleep. We've had a tiring first day."

After the heart booster of which Shadow carefully injected, Sonic was left alone; back to using the breathing mask as he relaxed propped up using elevated pillows and trying to cope with the pain of the booster. If he did not sleep propped up, his lungs got congested, and he'd wake in the middle of the night in a hacking fit.

"I'm worried about Sal and Tails. I hope they're okay." He really hated having to leave them in Faux Forest, as he had done before in Knothole in the days while they were travelling to the mountains.

"There'll be fine." Knuckles replied gently, placing a hand on Sonic's shoulder. "Right now they'll be worrying more about you."

"You sure Thunder will be okay out there on his own?" Sonic asked again.

"Yes, he will." The echidna tiredly assured him, "I've draped two large blankets over his back just to be sure, and tied them round his middle so they don't blow off. Don't forget that pashas are more hardy than us lot."

Relaxing after the long days' walk, Knuckles rested up and folded his eyes shut. Sonic however, exhausted himself, was too restless to sleep. "What's a camp without stories?" He inquired cheerfully, his dull eyes looking at them each in turn, "Shadow, you tell one!"

"In your dreams." He remarked frivolously.

The wind was screaming fervidly outside, but within the tent its tumult was only an added comfort. Knowing that they were safe and well within their shelter was all that they needed.

Knuckles leaned on a pillow, yawned and then buoyantly curled into his straw bedding. "Let's have a tale about Jehahribrah! You two hogs need to be a little more educated about echidna deities! Now - Jehahribrah guards the heavens and judges those who go in and those who go out - He gazes upon all living things - man or beast and -"

Shadow rummaged into his bag of supplies and unburied a black heavily binded book. "Here, you 'educate' yourself." And he gave the book to Knuckles. The echidna opened it up and crudely leafed through the first few pages.

"Mr. Sunshine, this is all very well but I can't read this. What is this? Overlander words?"

Shadow nodded. "Yes. I will be using it."

"I can't read this, it's in another language!" Knuckles admonished.

"You should learn overlander!" Shadow continued, "think of all the knowledge you could access on my computers!"

Sonic pressed into his many blankets. He looked up at the tall, narrow ceiling of the tent. Their shouting hurt his ears.

"If I have time!" Knuckles cried out.

"Please... e-enough... an Arbiter or two might hear y-you..."

Knuckles looked modestly down at him, but there was a glitter of worry in his eyes. The blue hedgehog was always sickly pale, but since their argument he had turned ashen grey and the echidna could see that his body was ravaged with shivers. But what was more startling was the fact that he had a hand pressed to his chest, exactly where the incision mark was.

"Sonic... hey? Are you all right? You look really pale." He shuffled over, feeling awful for fighting and ignoring him of all things. Sonic was perilously ill, and they had been selfish enough to let their emotions get the best of them.

Shadow growled tiredly. He pulled up some blankets over his body and snuggled in, muzzle flushed from the heat of their arguments. The air was strung up with tension... because Sonic was going to die. And they didn't know how to handle it. So they were turning on each other. Bitterly... like hungry sharks in bloody waters.

"I'm fine." The hedgehog answered automatically when Knuckles sat beside him. "It's been... it's been a long day... Don't worry about m-me..."

"You're hurting. I can see it in your eyes."

"Am n-not… But looking at your face all day is a pain!"

Knuckles shook his head at him, grabbed the pouch of water and two strong pain-killing tablets. He made sure Sonic took them while he rested a paw on his chest. _We got him all worked up thanks to our bickering… _The Emerald Guardian thought in remorse_. We should be stronger for him. Yet here we are… acting like children. _

Only when Sonic had fallen asleep from the powerful shot and painkillers did Knuckles seek council from Shadow. By now the reddish embers warming the cooking pot had died, and fettered darkness gulped any light left. Outside the snowy winds howled. It was a lonely world out there, right at their tails. Only a thin sheet of tent separated them from the elements. And from the heart of nature.

"Maybe he's just scared?" Shadow considered once Knuckles had explained. "Has he ever once told you if he's been hurting?"

"No. Not once. That's what I fear, the fact that he won't tell us when he's in pain. Shit. What are we going to do?"

"You're the _hedgehog doctor_. You tell me." He spared rather mockingly, as he was still angry.

Knuckles was unimpressed. "Sonic's never lied to us before. Ever. It's not like him. Maybe I should have a word…"

"Don't pester him about it. He'll only resent you. He's scared Knuckles. So leave him be."

"If you say so. Let's retire. We've got more walking in the morning."

The hiss of the oxygen tanks no longer unsettled or disturbed them like it may have done before. Like long lost brothers, they settled on either side of Sonic with their bedding and lay beside him to provide cherished warmth. Either unconsciously or purposefully, Sonic snuggled up to Shadow not long after they had settled. The elder stiffened automatically as if someone had just thrust a gun into his face. After a few quiet moments, he found Sonic's hand and squeezed it tight in the darkness and cuddled him back, satisfied when he felt how warm his little blue friend was.

_Sonic_, he thought, _just how much time do you have left? Will it be enough to reach the caves?_

So long as they had the cart, they should be okay. There were still many miles to traverse and nights to keep warm.

They'd be okay.

Carefully so as not to wake him, Shadow lifted up his right hand and twisted it gently to the left a little to see the watch.

It read a far safer 110 bpm.

* * *

><p><strong>Dib07:<strong> There, done. I hope you all enjoyed, and please, I'd appreciate positive feedback!

**Next chapter: White Haven.**

**Yeah. I know. It's a'coming DC111!**


	11. Chapter 10:11 White Haven

**Dib07: Okay, here it is. The next chapter. Sorry to have kept you all waiting, so enjoy! XD It's Friday! I wuv you Sonic!**

**DanceDream: **Good, stay on Sonic's side! Cheer for him! Sonic, gracious towards Knuckles and Shadow? No chance! They're trying to help him, and he'd rather throw snowballs all day! Honestly, I think I'd join him! But Sonic does have the choice of what to do, because it is his last week or month or however long those boosters last. And again last chapter was a great spice of different character opinions and methods. But it is all down to the boosters! LOL!

I know right! Knuckles is mad pretending that a defib unit can be ignored!

**Storm337: **Cuddles! Especially in winter cold! Can't be without it! Shadow is definitely being a lot more accepting towards Sonic bond wise, but he made that choice with the mind connection not so long ago! ^_^ Lol, White Haven…something bad? Nah. Sort of. Just a little!

**Question: **Sorry, we all disappeared for that week. Blame Sonic Generations, dude! XD Sorry again, but very humbled that you were looking so forward to reading it and it wasn't there. I hope this chapter more than makes up for it!

**EzmeetheHedgehog:** Hiya! I know you'll be reading this, so, uh enjoy! XDXD

**Chapter 10/11: White Haven**

"Come on, Blue. Rise 'en shine. Time to go."

"Hunh?" Sonic opened his eyelids, safe in his precious den of warm blankets. The sunlight gloating between the open tent flaps burned into his eyes, causing an afterimage that burned into his retinas. Had he even slept at all?

Leaving his warm nest was a hard decision to make. To face a cold world out there? No chance. But Knuckles was already helping him up, moving the blankets aside and stripping him gently of his pyjamas. As soon as they were removed, the chilliness from outside really hit, and he began to roll into unforgiving shivers. His body could no longer regulate his own body temperature, thus further betraying him.

Like an expert knowing all too well what he had to do, the echidna was rubbing his sleepy body up and down with his giant paws, encouraging heat into his limbs and torso. His profuse trembling eased up, relaxing his cramping muscles.

"Is it s-snowing out there?" He asked, not liking the silence.

"Actually, yes. It's just started, so we'd better get a move on before it gets any worse. It's so easy to lose track of where you're going in a snowstorm, so we'd better make progress now." He checked the feed and level of the oxygen tanks with a vigilant eye before dressing him in his coat, mittens and hat. "Warm enough?"

Sonic rewarded his question with a simple nod, while he still felt cold. "Red?"

"Yeah?"

"N-Nothing. H-Help me up?"

Knuckles disconnected him from the mask and brought him into his arms readily. For some reason Sonic couldn't describe nor fathom, he wanted the attention for no particular reason. He needed the comfort. And for the first time in his life, he wanted to be carried, even if it was only to the cart. Maybe because he was still so sleepy, pride didn't matter quite yet. Or maybe it was because he had been wrenched suddenly from home, from his partner and little brother.

Knuckles felt strong and sturdy as his arms closed around him. Like a furry brick wall with bunched muscles beneath that glossy coat. Unlike Sonic, he barely felt the nipping cold. "Feeling okay, Blue?" He obviously wasn't expecting this kind of co-operation either, and his tone sounded as worried as he looked.

"I'm awesome, thanks."

Arms slung around the echidna's neck, and looking out over his shoulder, Sonic watched through hooded eyes as they left the warm, dry belly of the tent and out into the white hell. He embraced Knuckles harder as a merciless breath of wind slapped across his body. Knuckles' stalwart boots bit into glistening white. As Sonic gazed upward through his hazy vision, he saw that it was snowing fervently. Something he was more than happy to see so long as he was safely inside a warm cottage where he could admire it through a window.

When Knuckles turned to the left, Sonic could glance round and see Shadow finished up with the cart. It was all set to go, with the pasha already harnessed and awaiting orders. With a vague look in his direction, the elder lurched off towards the tent to collect the tanks and to start packing their camp away.

While they waited for Shadow to finish up, Sonic droopily closed his eyes and dozed in the guardian's arms while a comforting paw warmed his quills and spine in methodical, quick strokes.

"Is he okay?" This coming from Shadow whose thick, rich voice was unmistakable, even in the wind that had evidently begun to pick up.

"He's really tired from yesterday still. The cold's affecting him a lot more than I imagined. We_ really_ gotta move to White Haven. Can you… can you sit in the cart with him? Keep an eye on him?"

"You didn't have to ask. Of course I will. However, all this pure oxygen from the tanks is going to keep chilling his core temperature."

"Catch-22, huh?" Knuckles tried to sound brisk. In control. Sonic wanted to say something to reassure him. But remaining behind closed eyelids whilst leaning into Knuckles' warmth was all he wanted right now. This was heaven.

The stroking stopped, and the gelid touch of cold reset his shivers into new life. He blearily opened his eyes to snowfall. It fell without sound. Without feeling. Like drowning. Where all screams were but muted in a tomb of silence.

Knuckles carried him over to the cart, and stepped on to bundle Sonic into tough, insulated blankets. He made sure his head was covered, including his mittened hands. "I'm going to give the tanks a rest for the morning, Sonic." Knuckles rubbed his shoulder as he parted. "Lie down and sleep. Soon we'll all be in dry beds, drinking hot tea and soup. I promise."

"O-Okay, R-Red."

The cart rocked gently when the guardian stepped off. Soon Shadow replaced him just as the cart eased into motion again. Once more the tortured scenery began to move. The wheels creaked and whined. Exhausted, Sonic curled into his blankets, coughing. He could no longer stand the cold. It seemed so much worse than yesterday. Already his back and sides were aching from shivering so hard. But as the wheels churned, he felt Shadow sit very close.

"We're making good progress…" He was saying to him that wasn't in the derogatory tone he expected. Instead Shadow sounded affable. Gregarious. Amiable. "White Haven will look after us. Maybe the panacea pools will work, hedgehog. But if they don't, I have an idea. A few miles up north from the Sentient Caves is a place called Yaun Fort. They have a hospital there. A big one. I can see it from the Ark. I'll take you there. You'll be all right."

"Shades? I… I don't think I like snow anymore."

"You and me both, little one. You and me both."

Sonic closed his eyes and tried to fall back to sleep. Every now and then he felt something wet fall against his neck. At first he thought it was the falling snow, but it felt much heavier than that. Much denser. It was only until he opened his eyes again that he discreetly saw that Shadow was crying. And the warm wetness falling down his neck had been his tears. He found Shadow as a total mystery.

Why was he so upset?

XXX

As they travelled, Thunder taking the pace well and pulling the cart by using the strength of his shoulders, things looked good. They were alone in the white, unholy world which was a relief. The trees seemed to carve a path forward for them, and pockets of ice sat wedged in the ground where an old riverbed had curdled into crystal. A dark shape resided in one of them in the distance. And it moved. Shadow's fur bristled under the fibers of his coat. "I smell Arbiters. I think that's one up ahead."

Knuckles sniffed at the frozen air, scents harder to read because of the unfathomable cold. "I smell gun oil."

"What is that?" Sonic weakly leaned forwards, hands groping for the edge of the cart. Between the trees as they parted lay a giant snake. Half of it was trapped in the old river that had iced over. Its huge body had been snagged by freezing waters and lethal ice blades. Its top half lay in the snow. The snow around its head was riddled with long grooves and signs of struggling violence as if had tried to wriggle itself free. Giant snakes, like dragons were rare. Almost extinct, but just as deadly as Arbiters. They ate and killed silently like assassins. They belonged to an ancient time when primitive beasts roamed Mobius when hunter and prey weren't so defined. So feared, that their population was massacred completely by both animal and man. So to see one was like laying eyes on a unicorn.

"The poor creature." Sonic said.

"Are you mad?" Knuckles retorted, "that dead thing would kill us without a moment's thought. Who cares if it's dead? I say it bloody deserved it."

The wheels of the cart crept forwards as they passed the great hulking body of the beast. If it had lain whole on the snow without much of its form being encompassed in iced water, it would have been as long as a house.

Sonic discerned it sadly as the cart began to pass it, muttering a silent prayer. Shadow paused on the instant, ears perked. "Wait! That thing is…"

The ice cracked and split around the trunk of the snake's trapped lower half. Red eyes opened from its huge, grizzled skull. Its mouth parted, allowing them a short show of the dangerous teeth it harbored within. Knuckles freaked and went to whip Thunder onwards.

"Wait," Shadow barked in the frosted air, "it can't reach us. It's trapped and dying. We're safe. We must have woken it up."

"A small relief." Knuckles growled deeply, still breathing fast. "Let's get out of here in case it does manage to come after us."

The snake watched them with its red menacing eyes, its black tongue flickering in and out of its frozen lips.

"Stop the cart." Sonic ordered faintly. Upon request the cart jerked to an unfavorable halt with Knuckles looking at him irksomely Before the echidna could barrage him with questions, Sonic looked at the snake in the eyes without any fear. "What's your name?" He asked it.

Shadow watched curiously. The snake looked from one hedgehog to the next, tongue patiently slipping in and out between its lips. Unsatisfied and knowing that they were losing time, Knuckles was about to push the pasha on again when the snake suddenly spoke.

"Hex. Hex is my name, small one." It tried to raise its head perhaps as a ploy to magnify its size, or to try another attempt at escaping its cold prison. Then, dejected, it lay once again upon the snow of its grave ruefully. "You mammals think you're above it all. Well, you're not. One day you'll all burn in the fires of hell for what you did."

"What did we do, vermin?" Knuckles growled.

"You hunted us. Burned us. But what does it matter? You cowards will never understand."

"Good. I don't want to understand a bottom-feeder. Let's go."

"No." Sonic shook his head. "Release Hex."

"What?" Knuckles yelled, "are you mad? Sonic!"

Shadow too looked from one to the other in complexity.

"It's my request." Sonic continued, never once taking his eyes from the snake who looked squarely back at him from its red, hateful eyes. "Please respect my decision. It's all that I ask for. Release him."

"He'll… he'll kill us!" Knuckles begged, leaving the pasha and walking purposefully up to Sonic's end, "reconsider! This is a snake you're talking about! One of the oldest predators who show no mercy!"

"He'll die out here if we leave him. I can't live with that, no matter how short that is going to be. Release him."

Knuckles opened his mouth. He was full of recoil, smitten with shock. Determined to swipe at Sonic's untimely decision. Then he sagged, lowered his head and looked at the snake. Sonic viewed everything with too much compassion. It was his weakness and his strength.

'_He'll die out here if we leave him. I can't live with that, no matter how short that is going to be.'_

"Sonic… holy gods… okay." Knuckles gulped and avoided the snake's brutal stare. _If it makes any sudden movements, I'll try and snap its neck – whichever part it is._

He approached the ice locking the snake's torso in place. Fresh blood that hadn't frosted over yet dribbled down its scales from where it had been trying to wrench its great hulk out. It must have fallen in by accident, its great weight trapping it in seconds.

Aiming, Knuckles smashed his fist into the solid ice. It was like concrete. It hurt his bones – the shock travelling up his arm. It was successful. The ice cracked enough to allow the giant snake to attempt another go at freedom. Its huge length began to crawl out and soon it was towering above them like a living monolith of scales. Its red eyes gleamed in the hazy sunlight, its lips drawing across to reveal its fangs that reeked of promising death.

Knuckles backed up, revealing his own canines that looked small and pathetic against the beast's admirable jaws. Even Shadow was gearing up behind the snake, prepared to do what was necessary to kill the beast and then later punish Sonic somehow without hurting him.

Its coils wrapping up tight, scales gleaming with tangled frost, Hex peered down at the hedgehog from the cart, its fangs bright and long. Like icicles. "What's yer name, small mammal?" He asked in a soft hiss.

Sonic glanced upward, offering up a sweet smile. "The name's Sonic, Hex. Good to meet you. I shake you by the hand! Well, if I could!"

Hex nodded. "Sonic. Hmm. I'll remember that name. Thank you. I shan't forget this." He gave Sonic one more look and then, silent and as quick as lightening, turned and swooped across the snow and into the forest like an elongated ghost. And then he was gone. Shadow strained for any sign of the snake returning to crush and dismember them, but nothing transpired. The reptile had gone for good.

Tired, shocked and full of mixed feelings, Knuckles clambered into the cart to give Sonic a worried hug. "Hog, I don't know if you are a saint, or a mad bastard!"

"Both!"

XXX

The simple snowfall, malignant with comely beauty, turned wicked and sharp. The innocent skies of opaque blue whittled into a groaning, onerous black. The winds cantered down, snapping tree branches and jostling bushes in feral convulsions. The snow strengthened into a bitter blizzard that ate up their tracks and darkened their sight. Knuckles paused several times, sniffing the air and trying to reconnect his direction with failing misery. The blithering snow and high-rise gales kept hitting them. The pasha reeled back several times, looking from one direction to another, startled and agitated. To prevent the creature from going wild and making a break for it, Knuckles had covered its face and eyes with a towel which he tied securely to keep it from blowing off.

Guiding it onwards, Knuckles only hoped he was going the right way.

Concerned, Shadow leapt clear from the cart and accompanied Knuckles at the front. The wind tore at their hoods and clothing in general. Snow flurries tried to blind them.

"What do we do?" The Ultimate Life Form asked throatily as he raised an arm to shield his face as much as possible, "are we lost?"

"No… I just… I just can't remember if it's left or right. We must be right on top of White Haven… but I can't see anything familiar in this winter wonderland. It's all trees and snow!"

"Sonic can't take much more. He's freezing, and if we stay here much longer, we'll all be blocks of ice! Do something!"

"I'm trying!" Knuckles snarled back at him, violet eyes hostile. Nostrils flaring. "If you wanna do something – scout ahead! Just don't get lost!"

While a sidelong glance, Shadow took off, trying to skate without his hover shoes and then realizing that all he had were his hiking boots. Striding stiffly through the snow shortly became hard, strenuous work. The snow levels had risen, the blizzards shoring it up like a tide. The layers had reached up to his knees. The cart's wheels would struggle through this. Even the tall, nimble trees were getting buried at their trunks. All and any recent tracks left by animals had all but gone. Wiped clean by the whistling snow. And there was no sign of any snakes.

He stopped by a crooked yew tree, not affected by early fatigue like a normal Mobian. His red eyes peered through the thickets like a spying predator. The howling storm was deafening.

He ploughed forth, hugging himself as he bowed against the violence of nature. He could imagine Sonic in the cart… suffering. And the damned wagon had no roof, nor had the wooden sides strong enough to support one any how. If Shadow's search turned up dry, they would have to think of ways of keeping their little friend alive. Somehow. And fast.

Wading, stumbling, plunging through horrid white mush that felt like it was grabbing his ankles in abhor, Shadow heard a twig crunch to his left about four foot away. His keen ears discriminated it from the throwing storm with ease. "Who goes there?" He vehemently shouted, teeth drawn. The instant the words left his lips, a weathered old rat and a young fox came out from the shelter of frozen ferns. They each possessed long, inhumanly sharp spears.

"We should be saying the same to you, Arbiter." Barked the fox in a husky voice, "go now, before we kill you."

"I am no Arbiter!" Shadow defended, blinking heavily in the cascading hail and snow, "we're looking for White Haven! Home of the Tree Bearers!"

Their demeanor seemed to become even fiercer as if he had agitated them somehow. "You, looking for White Haven? How is it you know of such a place?"

"Kill him!" The rat said frostily, his little eyes looking Shadow up and down as if he was assessing how much meat he could sustain them with. "He's an Arbiter who knows of White Haven's existence! You know the rules! Kill all trespassers!"

They went to advance. "Wait!" Shadow held up his arm, palm of his hand open. He was inches from firing a shot of chaos energy at them; however a greater sense told him that these two knew about White Haven. "I am not your enemy! We are looking for shelter! We'll pay you if need be, but Sonic and the Emerald Guardian need help."

The fox and rat looked at one another as if Shadow had just been transformed into a grape. "Did you just say… Sonic?"

"Yes!" Shadow growled, feeling his thin patience slipping ever further, "now will you help us or not?"

"Why didn't you say?" The fox, dressed completely in leather hide, came forwards on thin, dainty legs. He drew his spear back up, his violate countenance diminishing completely. "Show us Sonic. If you are truly his friend, then we will gladly take you all to White Haven."

Shadow affirmed them with a nod. "Follow me. Keep close. I do not have the luxury of time to slow down."

XXX

He feared it was already too late. Out in the hail of the storm, Knuckles was doing all he could to keep Thunder under control, which meant leaving Sonic to battle the cold alone. He couldn't even be seen, as he was lying down in the back among the iced blankets.

Shadow rushed over to the despairing echidna. Just as his tail came the veteran fox and rat who were used to running and scouting hastily over the thick, treacherous snow.

Shadow leapt into the cart and unearthed Sonic from the blankets. From first glance, he could tell with stricken, sinking panic that Sonic was in a bad way. Though he strangely wasn't shivering, he lay limply in cold comfort, muzzle a chalky bluish white. "Hey, little one, wake up. It's me." He eased him up, wanting – desiring nothing more than a response. A good, strong one. Sonic whimpered, not saying a word, and that was all. His eyes were shut and he didn't respond when Shadow lifted him into his arms. The blue hedgehog was ice cold to the touch.

"Come with me," the fox commanded upon seeing the tragedy, "Huleli will take your pasha and cart, but you three must find shelter now. Hurry!"

Having no choice but to leave the oxygen tanks behind, Shadow clasped Sonic against him and jumped down into the thick, suffocating snow. He almost stumbled, but with an instinctive jerk, his right leg peeled out, correcting his failing balance. Then, with a lightning fast jog, he kept behind the fox while the rat led the pasha. The cart and Thunder swirled into white mist, and were gone. However, they only pressed forwards, being led into deeper woodland where the shrieking winds weren't so unkind.

Knuckles was right behind, eye ridges and the top of his muzzle covered in snow.

They came to a small cave loitered in toothy icicles that littered the top lip in a wide grin. Without even ducking, the fox trotted between them at a sprint. The urgency pressed him onwards, and Shadow ducked low beneath the crystal teeth.

"Who are you?" Knuckles asked once they were running through the long, narrow throat of the cave that led up into a stone corridor of sorts. They could at least hear each other now. In here, the pounding storm of umbrage and chaos was but a decaying nightmare. Out of the blasting gales, Knuckles already felt two degrees warmer.

"My name is Thayli," the fox returned without pause as their footsteps pattered up the corridor, "up ahead is White Haven. As you can see, we use glow worms as our light source, and use various tunnels to confuse and trap Arbiters. If a stranger does not know the way in or out, he may quickly succumb to frustration and hunger."

"Is this how you thwart your enemies?"

"Indeed. It's a traditional method we've been using for decades. We set traps, and the greedy Arbiters fall into them, providing us with meat and their trinkets from their own kills."

"Cannibals." Knuckles muttered with growing distaste. "You eat them?"

"We have to, in order to survive. Their protein and sustenance keeps us alive. It is but the price we must pay to live. Were your kind no different so many centuries ago?"

"Enough talk. Get us somewhere warm, now!"

Shadow noticed that the stone ceiling was low and uncomforting, as if it would press violently down on them at any given moment. There were lots of draughts, promising more openings, or just another confusion tactic to get their enemies lost. The sand underfoot was dry and warm. No hampering rain or the touch of frost could reach them here.

The tunnel they were in abruptly ended and a mouth in the cave revealed to them a village down below, cast in lights made by the greengot worms. The town was huge, encompassed in an expansive underground cave. Much bigger than even Knuckles had imagined.

The underground cavern was enormous to accommodate so many huts, cottages, wells and farms. Everywhere was solely lighted by the worms as they were always in darkness.

"Here is our village." Said Thayli, stopping long enough to allow them a few seconds of viewing. "Come, it's not much further now."

They continued down a steep, rocky ledge that ran away from the mouth of the tunnel along the wall. "Who made this?" Shadow asked.

"We have, generation after generation." The fox returned proudly. "We've used tools to shape our burrow. And we've designed our own traps with new and better ideas. This way we've ensured our safety. But as our population has grown, our world has grown too. The bats dig the ceiling to make it larger and higher. We do the ground work and all the excess soil goes into our farms where we grow corn, seeds and mutton."(Mutton is a soft plant that likes damp conditions and is made into perfumes or spices. Can also be turned into tobacco and is highly traded for in the outside world).

They got to the bottom of the uneven ledge and into the town. But Thayli led them round the outskirts where there were private cottages out from the main streets. They ran to a rounded stone hut much like the ones in vanquished Knothole, with a mud brick roof and beads for window panes.

Throwing the wooden door open, Thayli allowed them to tumble in, their clothes still dripping from the melting snow. The bedroom was directly adjacent to the kitchen, and though it was small and only housed two beds and a hearth, it was enough, with a spacious bathroom next door.

Too rushed to really take the place in, Knuckles took Sonic gently from Shadow's arms and sat the inert hedgehog on the floor. Working fast, Red stripped him of his wet outdoor gear, ripping off his mittens, hat, boots and heavy coat that was positively saturated with icy cold water._ So much clothing to get rid of..._

"Can you bring us a small change of bedclothes?" Knuckles requested pithily, remembering that they had left the rest of their clothes in the cart in the paws of foe or ally, "and a hot bowl of water? Now?"

Chucking logs into the heath, Shadow got the fire going by snapping his fingers to initiate a spark of chaos energy as the flame. The warmth started up instantly as fire set upon the logs in crackling, spitting bursts. Then he turned and ruefully helped Knuckles.

The next thing they did was tuck Sonic up in the thin bed, plastering him with thick, heavy blankets that smelt of dust and soil. Their smaller friend was finally shivering, a sign that his body's warming reflexes were kicking in at long last, even if this led heavy, jerky fits. He did not speak a word when Knuckles pestered him with questions to try and keep him conscious.

Acting quick, Thayli passed them a bucket of boiling water. Using a cloth, Knuckles squeezed it after dipping it into the boiling water and resting it on Sonic's forehead. Once that was done, he dipped a cup in the steamy liquid, blew on it to cool it a little, and encouraged Sonic to take a few sips.

"Drink for me. We'll get you some hot tea in a little while, but right now this'll do plenty of good."

It was hard to drink through a wall of spasming twitches and jerks. His extremities such as his feet shook the hardest. He tried to open one eye, throat struggling to work when Knuckles gently dipped the cup forwards.

After a few, difficult sips, the guardian put the cup to one side and started rubbing Sonic's body up and down with his paws. Shadow took a step back, head in his hands. _We're going to lose him! If only we had got here faster!_

"Easy, Sonic." Knuckles pressed his forehead against his little blue friend, mentally praying. "Easy. Try to relax. Let the tension go."

"Let me get in bed with him!" Shadow almost yelled out._ I could try chaos energy... _He thought uneasily.

"No, not yet. He needs the friction from my paws. This will warm him up faster, _and then_ you can."

It was truly agonizing to watch. The strong, infectious jerks continued throughout Sonic's small, thin body even when he was out of the cold and the wind. Shadow paced, roared and ripped at his fur.

Still using the hot cloth, Knuckles gently sponged it down Sonic's cold chest and under his arms. Still he shivered violently. The snowstorm had been too much, too fast, causing his core temperature to plummet.

"It doesn't help when there is no fat in his body to act as an insulator. The cold has gone stright into him." Knuckles sighed in tattered frustration.

"Fuck this." Shadow retorted, eyes steamy in red, throttling anger, "I'm running him a hot bath."

X

Ever so gently, like a mother bathing her kitten, Knuckles sunk a chilled hedgehog into a deepish, hot bath where even the surface was steamy and moist. Not completely conscious, the act of his body being submerged in the element he was so terrified of was somewhat lost on him, and besides, Knuckles' paws kept him from sinking too low below the surface.

Frame still jerking afresh, Sonic's eyelids struggled to open. Shadow knelt on the opposite side of the bath, a stack of fresh, soft towels and a pair of warm pyjamas waiting for their sickly partner. Already his blue lips and cheeks were starting to warm to a rosy, pink hue. His tremendous shivers were slowly being tamed while he himself became more alert. Eyes opening wider, Knuckles smiled down at him, his long dreads sliding down his great shoulders. "Can you hear me, Blue?"

"Y-Yeah… Am I in a bathtub...?"

"Sure are. It's okay, I'm hanging into you, but trust me, the water's very, very shallow!"

As Shadow looked on, fighting back the tears and determined not to cry, he couldn't help but look at the long, vertical incision mark down Sonic's gaunt chest. He hated the memories it brought. Hated the infection that still hadn't gone away since the surgery. Hated it all.

"Why do I still feel… c-cold…?"

"Don't worry, we'll have you warm in no time."

Blue spines began to collectively float in the water from where they had been dropping off Sonic's limp quills. A worrying sign.

Trailing hot water over his pronounced ribs and letting the soothing liquid run over his head, Knuckles dunked him as much as he could without ever letting his muzzle go below the steamy surface. Sonic's bad shivers ended, and even the white flesh on the inside of his ears began to glow a warm, healthy pink again.

There was something the echidna noticed, however about his left arm. All down the outside of the arm it was bruised and bloodied. Bits of fur had come off mostly due to small claw lacerations in the skin. His first thought was Shadow doing this to him, and then dismissed it instantly. Though they were indeed hedgehog claw wounds, the scratches were too small to belong to Shadow. Sonic had done this, to himself. The only explanation was that Sonic was doing this in his sleep during his nightmares. Some ground their teeth together at night while they dreamt. Sonic liked to molest his arm. Either that, or the pain from the boosters made him knead his arm hard to combat the agony.

For seven minutes they let him rest against Knuckles' grip in the water that cradled his warming body. There were now more spines than bubbles floating on the surface. As the seconds drained away, Sonic seemed to draw strength from the risen temperature. Though weak and totally enervated, he didn't slip into a coma and remained very much awake.

With deft proficiency, Knuckles lifted him from the hot bathtub and lovingly enclosed him into a bundle of soft towels. Meanwhile, Shadow rose from the floor, pondered across the room without looking back, and left, shutting the door behind him. Annoyed but not distracted from his job, Knuckles roughly scrubbed the weak little hog in the folds of towel. Sonic's delicate shivers were making their feverish return.

"You warm enough, Blue?"

"R-Red… I want to go h-home…"

"Oh, Blue." Knuckles leaned into his tiny form, "I wish I could take you back, but you won't get any better there. That's why we're making this journey, horrible though it is."

"I miss my b-brother. I miss Sal…" He broke down into choking, chesty coughs. Knuckles squeezed him tight, hoping against hope that Sonic wasn't blaming him for all of this. "The cart takes too long, Red... takes too long..."

Shadow had curled against a corner of the bedroom, alone for awhile. The seclusion gave him the freedom to cry. The freedom to expel all his woes. For clenching them up inside had been too painful.

X

Dressed in his light blue starry pyjamas, Knuckles laid Sonic to rest back in bed, his cheeks, ears and nose still very warm from the healing bath heat. The vital increase in temperature had touched and soothed his failing organs. Shadow, discreetly rubbing his eyes, came back with closed fists and a scowl on his face.

"Shadow, stay with Blue while I sort out Thayli and the rat with the cart. I won't be too long, and when I return, I'm making him hot soup and a cup of tea. If something should happen…"

"It won't. Go."

Once the echidna had gone, Shadow eased himself up on bed beside Sonic and peeled back the thick blankets. Way too tired and sleepy from the bath heat, Sonic barely noticed until the elder touched the lower part of his legs.

"I'm going to try something, hedgehog." Shadow assured him in a light, gentle voice, "it's not something I've necessarily done before. But I'll be careful. Before you ask, I'm going to try and warm up parts of your body with chaos energy. I know you are warm already, but if this works, I can use this for when we have to go back out into the snow again."

"I don't think I wanna go out there again." Sonic feebly admitted with a languid yawn, "it's way too cold for me. I wanna see my family again."

"You will... one day." Centering his focus through his hands and connecting with the emeralds and his own powers within, he pushed and circulated the energies through him before channeling them like ki energy into Sonic's leg. Sonic jumped; startled from the sudden heat in his leg and from the overwhelming strength it carried with it. Shadow stopped at once, mistaking Sonic's reaction for something else. The overzealous strength faded from his leg, but the heat dissipated for much longer.

"Try it again," the hedgehog asked tiredly, eyes only half open, "please. It felt good that time."

This put a tentative smile on Shadow's face. "Okay, but since this is in its preliminary stages, I'm going to be as gentle as before." _But,_ he thought, _this is only working with you because of my mind connection some time ago. If I enter you too fast with my mental energies, it might just trip you into cardiac arrest. I don't like doing it._

Reawakening the chaos energy, the elder tried it on Sonic's thighs and arms, all with equal results. Once supple and warm, Sonic drooped to his side and fell right to sleep. Using the thermometer, Shadow accessed his temperature by sliding the device under his armpit. Giving it a full minute, he removed it and was relieved when he saw the readings. Sonic's shaky temperature was normal at last.

X

"I request an audience with your chief." The routine of the underground world appeared much the same. The workers tallied with their weak, perishing farms. The females gathered and others carried water to wherever it was needed.

A sentry with a scar across his nose stood at the door to a high domed cottage. The chief's home.

The sentry inclined his head. "I will go and tell him. Wait here." The rat went inside and closed the door behind him. A sweet scent of aromas such as rosemary and lavender escaped from inside the bowels of the home.

Knuckles studiously stared at the door, arms folded, teeth bared. A few mice walked past, saying hello to him as soon as they spotted his unfamiliar profile. News spread here fast, and it would, when all these people did was live in a giant hole.

The door opened and the sentry stuck his head out. More perfumes perforated the air. "He shall see you now."

Following the sentry, he entered the cottage of the king rat's home. Each doorframe he passed was curtained with beads and the smells of the herbs and aromas became increasingly stronger. Each one seemed a different fragrance in itself.

There was a haunting melody up ahead and after entering a third room and spying statues in corners depicting rats, pictures - trophies - more Arbiter goods - he came to what was supposed to be the throne room. The chief looked up, appearing half asleep. He was in a large metal tub having a bath in bubbly water. Young female rats and mice were playing on harps and flutes beside him, sitting on cushions and silken blankets.

"Oh my -" Knuckles stammered in shock, "I didn't realize you were having a bath - I do apologize!"

"It's perfectly fine!" Bellowed Chief Lionel in a clearly humorous chuckle. The music played on softly. "Please, sit down and tell me why you have come."

As the sentry went back through the house to return to his post, servant mice came and put cushions down so that the echidna could sit. Knuckles did at once to show his immediate politeness.

As Knuckles proceeded to explain, the rat lifted his fat hairy arm up so that a servant could scrub his armpit with a sponge. The bubbles were as thick and white as cream.

"We've been thinking… and we'd like to ask you if we could to stay for a night."

"A night?" He lifted the other arm up so that the servant could scrub that one as well. Even now he still wore a crown of rubies and sapphires on his head whereas his greasy fur was dull and dark with wet water and he looked rather ordinary without a gown of silk. "But of course! Our villagers will be proud to serve you! I knew our hospitality would leave you wanting more!"

Knuckles chuckled back, enforcing his thanks. "We do not wish to mean you trouble …All we need is a bed to sleep on. It's the warmth down here that's really helping. You do not need to provide us with meals. We will provide our own."

"No need. Whatever you desire shall fall into your lap while I remain chief here." He lowered his arms and arched his back. The servant lavished her sponge using a fatty bar of perfume then rubbed his hindquarters with it. "Is that overlander really dead? Robotnik? Even we down here, hear a great many things from the Arbiters we torture."

"Yes." Said the echidna straight away, "you don't have to worry about him anymore. There will still be badniks and whatnot walking free, but at least there's no one around to make more of them."

"Ah, good, good." He splashed about a bit like a child and burped rudely. "So now that he is gone, what do you and the blue flash have in mind?"

Now here came the questions. "Do you know anything of the Sentient caves? That is where we are heading."

The rat shook his head. "Is a bad place." He said. "Animals go in there to be cured. Never come back out again. 'Tis a place of bones. Why, echidna?"

"Just a question. We're going there to see what it's really like."

"A foolish risk. Turn back I'd say." Though he didn't look concerned. Maybe the lavish treatment he was receiving from his slaves kept him from hearing the true reality of Knuckles' words. "Avoid Feral Woods if ye can, and the Flatlands of Eilnoi. There are still old factories there, some in production. The pollution up there is terrible."

"Thank you, chief."

He left, glad to be out of a perfume house. Knuckles started walking back to their cottage. Thunder had been freed from the cart and was busy munching at the hay in a disused stable, the cart and supplies untouched and still dripping from the morning's snow. Everything was accounted for, nothing had been stolen.

Taking a few packs of medicine, Knuckles avoided bringing the oxygen tanks and mask. Sonic needed to rest from them for awhile. Prolonged use had the possibility of causing his lungs to be too dependent on them; thus making him worse, and lung membrane irritation, the book stated. And didn't reduce the risk of pneumonia. So no, not today or tonight.

Still, the Tree Bearers had accepted them because of Sonic's grand role of hero. They trusted him like family, and allowed him and his associates to stay freely. It was good to know that such allies did and could exist.

Knuckles ground his teeth. They'd be entering Arbiter country soon. And that was bad news.

* * *

><p><strong>Dib07: Yeah. Lol. Thank you for reading! XD<strong>

As you can see from the next chapter title below, this slightly gives away what the series has next in store in a subtle manner here that will soon become everything. I found it very interesting and unusual just writing the chapter as a whole that would prepare for the future.

The next chapter too explains why the boosters cannot/rarely be rationed and soon, it will also be explained why a raw chaos emerald couldn't help Sonic either.

**Next chapter: Trying Times/A New Hero in the Making**


	12. Chapter 12 Trying TimesNew Hero

**Dib07: **This chapter highlights the stress the characters are under. Sonic physically. The others mentally. And why is this chapter so brutal you may ask? Because there are no cuts. This is in full. Welcome to Sonic's world. And his reality. See you all. I am gonna hide for a month! ^_^

This is the last of the long chapters. They will start to shorten as we draw to the conclusion. Thanks all for the massive, MASSIVE support! I would NOT have submitted anymore of this story if it hadn't been taken so well! And the love and support all of you have shown is tremendous!

**question:** LOL, thanks! Well, it'll be ages I reckon until the next new Sonic game comes out, so you're quite safe now for a good long time! Thanks so much though! Lol! Just don't be too harsh with me with the coming chapters (including this one!) *_*

**Storm337:** I've made you really worry, huh? LOLOLZ! Thanks about the compliment with their emotions. That really makes me feel like I've achieved a lot of things. So thanks again! ^_^

**DanceDream:** Lol your reviews are getting longer and longer! It's awesome, though but...please don't kill me! XD

Your faith is like a stalwart rock. Never even chips! Dude you're awesome! Oh yes, you are remarking so much upon how the characters are changing. The stress and constant anguish have made them all different in turn. Sonic admits that he is homesick and would love nothing more but to see his family. Shadow has become far more attached than he'd ever dream of whether he wanted to or not, and Knuckles had come to a quiet acceptance about it all. He sees Sonic's failing body as part of the dying process and nothing much can be done.

Sonic and Shadow's relationship is purely platonic my dear friend. Shadow performed the heart surgery don't forget, and has become deep friends because of it. Taking anything that has befallen Sonic onto himself like it is all his fault. Besides, I don't think Sally would be amused at all and might just kill Sonic if ever thought otherwise! And besides, Sonic is not doing so well, and any comfort/friendship is welcomed. In a way, Shadow has become a brotherly guardian to Sonic. Hahaha, you and your co-writer! Lol! Makes me laugh every time!

But all joking aside, this is a strict SonSal fanfiction!

**Special Thanks to: FullRings, Exploder, DC111, Storm337, speedstriker34567, sagapaga, question, DanceDream, ShadowEmpress76**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 12: Trying TimesA New Hero in the Making**

Knuckles entered the cottage, feeling down and despondent. Shadow looked up from the hedgehog book Knux had insisted they bring with them. He closed it and slid it back on the oaken nightstand. Rising from the chair, he approached the weary emerald guardian.

"Echidna -"

"My name is Knuckles!"

Ignoring his rebuke, he continued steely, "what happened? Why were you so long?"

"I spoke to their chief. He and his people are perfectly happy for us to stay the night. It's just…"

"Just… what?"

"I think we should stay here longer. At least for another day. Sonic burns up too much energy trying to keep warm, but down here, he can regain that little bit of strength again."

"We can't stay here any longer. After tonight, we must move on again! His heart boosters will not last forever. Neither will he."

"Then space them out! Ration them on him!"

Shadow let out a deep, defeated sigh and replied in quiet ruin; "The effects would be catastrophic. His heart mortally depends on them. If I drop even one out from his three hour cycle, his heart's contractions will badly weaken. He will have a heart attack or worse, death just from dropping one!"

"How?" Knuckles asked, trying to appear unfazed and strong, like he had been doing since the journey had begun. The pasha had been his idea, his choice. And he would stick to that choice.

"From the arrhythmias! It will happen because his heart is so weak coupled with the shock of low blood pressure. It's not a question of if he gets them but when."

"Are the boosters really helping it that much?"

"Yes!" Shadow growled impatiently. "In case you hadn't noticed while I did the surgery, his heart had ruptured from the piece of metal! Sealing it up again helped, but it was still too badly damaged. His heart has swollen from the inflammation, and it can't beat on its own. The boosters kick it with massive volumes of stimulants to _make_ it beat, and adrenaline with every shot that lasts up to three hours or less. It in short, increases his heart rate, stimulated by increased sympathetic activity in order to maintain cardiac output. Initially, this helps compensate for his heart failure by maintaining blood pressure and perfusion, but places further strain on his body. Still, without this vital medicine, his heart won't –_ can't_ beat at all. It's that simple. It would all over for him and nothing but agony in between, because he'll be personally feeling the effects right up until his death. My medicine also prevents syncope, which means 'fainting.'"

"Fuck!" Knuckles turned towards the closet wall, inches from pulverizing the stone bricks that had made it. "I had no idea. All along I thought the boosters were just a supportive measure, not what was keeping him alive!"

"That is why your caves better work! Even if I take him to the Ark, I have no more boosters left and it would take me years trying to figure out how to make more! That is why the longer we are here, the more likely he is to die!"

"Then we've… we've got to go…!"

"Precisely. His next booster is in two hours. I suggest we make that time count."

Knuckles walked over to the bed and gazed at Sonic sleeping with sorrowful eyes. "How do you know when he needs a booster so promptly?" He asked in a tearful whisper.

"I have excellent hearing. Without even being close, I can hear his heartbeats. Every two to three hours, the beats start to palpitate. There is plenty of warning, and thus I inject him with the next booster. His heart rate improves dramatically in the first five minutes, and hence the pain and discomfort on his part, and I try to leave it longer each time I inject him, but again this doesn't work much. You need to know how serious he is without external help."

With this in mind, Knuckles was more depressed than ever. He had not known how serious Sonic's condition was, but Shadow had known… all along, and had kept it from Sally to save her from most of the trauma.

After Sonic's nap that lasted a few good hours of pure rest, Knuckles chivvied his blue friend awake and to feed him hot leek and potato soup. Sitting up with him, Knuckles got the food all laid and ready on a tray.

"Are we still in White Haven, Knux?" He asked, looking round at an unfamiliar bedroom. "And the locals, are they okay us staying here?"

"Yes, we are, thanks to your hero status of days gone by, but we'll be moving soon. We need to get you to those caves."

The very thought of going back out into the snow made Sonic shiver in the echidna's warm arms. "Ugh, why can't we stay h-here for just a tad, buddy?"

"Because we can't. Have another sip of tea, Blue. It's good stuff."

"Red, I remembered what you did to me…"

"Did to you?"

"The bath. You…you bathed me…didn't you? Thanks...I t-think..."

Knuckles had been glaring at him, sure that at any moment Sonic would say something serious. Once he realized what he was on about, he laughed gently. "Yeah, I had to. Your memory coming and going or something, hog? Look, now drink. Despite being impatient on everyone else you sure do like taking your own time."

Rolling his eyes, Sonic took the hot mug of tea and started gulping it down gladly. Occupied with the soothing drink, and Knuckle eased his paw over Sonic's thin chest to feel his sick heart beat prominently against his touch. And to think… it was only pumping away thanks to Shadow's overlander medicine. It was also pumping without any terrible irregularity – or fluctuance.

"No m-more, bud."

"No more, huh? If that's the case, you can have some more soup before it gets cold. Come on now."

Too weak to fight back perhaps, or still too tired from his cold spell, Sonic was back to accepting the spoonfuls without fuss. His heart made some odd, burbling murmurs against Knuckles' palm in a queasy flutter, but this may have been due to the inflammation.

Sonic suddenly seemed aware of such an invasive touch, brought about perhaps by the first palpitations slamming into its frail rhythm. With a light shove, he pushed the echidna's paw from his chest. "Knux… that's enough food. I… I don't wanna throw up and especially not on you."

"You won't. You haven't had that much!" Knuckles said with a playful smile. "Rest now. You've done well."

XX

With fresh determination, Knuckles and Shadow planned their next, fastest route to the Sentient Caves. They sat on the earthy floor of the cottage to reorganize. Knuckles unrolled a sheet of parchment at their feet, knelt and began to talk softly under the baying light of the greengot worms. For very early tomorrow, they were leaving.

Knuckles drew a rough diagram of a map and draw a line using a stalk of charcoal of how far they had come.

"We passed Oak Tree lake," Knuckles sounded tired and unappeased as he ran over with the elder where they were, "and now we're here. White Haven." He drew a stenciled circle round a dot resembling 'White Haven.' "Now…" He leaned back, settling his weary violet eyes over him as Shadow looked boldly back, "we head north in a direct line. We'll pass the Flatlands, so called because the valley there is as flat as concrete and covers a lot of land. The wind blows strong, so they'll be some blizzards I should imagine - then when we leave the edge of the flatlands - we'll be leaving the outskirts of Feral Wood and the Badlands. But while we're crossing the borders, that will be the time we'll be most at risk from attack... Again we'll keep north, north-east. Then we'll climb into the high grounds of Cold Mountain. But we aren't stopping. We'll pass the mountains and turn sharply to the east all the way, passed Yaun Fort and directly to the sentient caves. It's going to be quite a way…" He sagged his shoulders as if the journey had already taken its toll, "but we'll make it. All of us will."

"I've got a better idea. We leave White Haven as usual," he took the chalk of charcoal from Knux and drew another line, "but instead of swerving round the Feral Forest, we can cut straight through it and cut our journey time by a few days at least."

"But we'll stay in the Badlands for longer." Knuckles reminded him, sitting rigid and taut. "It's far too dangerous."

"Since when has anything not been dangerous?" Shadow returned sordidly, "if we want to get to these Sentient caves fast - that's the way to do it."

Knuckles opened his mouth, then sealed it into a thin, hardened line.

Shadow shook his head mildly, the lambent glow of the worms coloring the otherwise dark cottage room in a splay of blue and green. "Though I detest the Badlands, time is everything. We may get hit by more blizzards. We might be spotted in the open. But crossing into the Feral Woods will cover us. And we can go in stealth. We can all do it."

X

Later, they slept in their comfy straw beds in their room. By the next day, Knuckles released Thunder from his pen and saddled him up. Some rats and mice, along with one or two bats, came to watch them. Others, kind and considerate, came to offer a helping hand. The hut was unlocked and Shadow pulled out the cart. Chief Lionel was not present at all during their departure.

"Must still be soaking up in his bubbles." Knuckles whispered to Shadow as they made their final preparations.

Their water pouches were filled, and thanks to kind villagers, were given fresh fruit and vegetables. Sonic was carried from the small hut and placed in his usual spot in the cart.

"Red, I got a bad feeling about the winter out there."

"A bad feeling, huh? Don't tell me you're getting all tense on me now."

"We're f-far from home, I know. But be on the lookout. I know we're gonna be passing close to the Wayland Mountains. They'll be enemies everywhere. I don't want you getting hurt."

"Faith, child!" Knuckles mocked. "Yeah, I know, our speed and resilience pales in comparison to your old flare, but we'll be on the lookout."

"Good! No worries then?"

"No worries."

"Hey, Knuckles?" The echidna turned to him, suddenly not liking the way Sonic had used his full name. "If you give Thunder my sneakers, will he go faster?"

The kittens and baby mice waved excitably and babbled their farewells.

A sentient escort guided them back out through the intestines of their confusing tunnels. It seemed hard to imagine that it was these same, docile people that had built these ruthless passages. But defense was priority if you wanted to protect your families.

"You look ill, dear hero." Said the escort to Sonic. Shadow looked at the escort murderously but said nothing.

"Urm…" Sonic nervously scratched at his cheek. "I do? Blame the snow! Can't get a suntan here!"

And then - there it was. Like a bad dream that had decided to make a second visit.

The snow.

And the winter.

Cold, heartless wind swept along the frozen plains of a dead world. The pine trees stood tall and as alien as ghostly shadows. The rocks were quiet and somber in their sleep.

The sentient guard bowed a farewell as the trio stepped out of the tunnel and into ankle-deep snow.

"I bid you good luck to all your endeavors." The rat said. "Maybe we will meet again."

"And perhaps we shall. We can't thank you enough for your hospitality." Knuckles replied, "may you, your chief and your people thrive as we continue with our goal to make Mobius a better place!"

With Thunder snorting at the front and Knuckles leading it, they entered an inhospitable wasteland of death and pain, leaving the warmth of the tunnels behind.

"Nice speech you made back there." Sonic said with a small giggle, "you've been round Sally too much!"

"Heh."

The wind was blowing against them. There was no snowfall and the blizzard had died, leaving a clear, sad grey dawn. The sun shimmered behind trees of needles. Weak and wispy. Pouring nothing but cold rays into cold lands. It was visceral. Unbearable.

Their route veered to the right, the east. The way Shadow had suggested they go. Heading into Feral Woods and deeper into the Badlands. A grave risk, Knuckles knew. Injury was lethal. Death the higher outcome. He did not like this one bit.

XX

The oxygen tanks made their usual clinking noises as the wheels of the cart seemed to find every rough crevice in the snowy terrain like it was its mission. Sonic tried to sleep, and sometimes he acquired it. Though not always. He coughed long and hard on most occasions, and sometimes Shadow would snap towards him in concern, and in the fear that his coughs would alert enemies to their location. But as much as Sonic tried to stop them, it was like trying to plug a leak in a cup. It didn't always work and soon he would be breathing in loose, tiresome jerks after the coughs. Coughs that made him gasp and wheeze that in turn hurt something deeply rooted within his ribs. He knew he'd see the last day soon enough, at some point. It was a casual knowing. A beckoning call that he would face tiredly. He didn't fear death. Never had. It was just the way it was being drawn out. He would fight. Even if fighting had no point. And he would accept it with his head up. He had done all he could for this world, and was glad. Happy even.

Boredom wasn't an issue with him anymore. He was too tired all the time. Spent and exhausted like a flat tire. If he didn't sleep, he'd be plagued and nursed by bad, rotten day dreams of low fever.

He looked up from his heavy blankets, arms and legs weighed down with cotton layers. The clouds rolled on by like fluffy, sleeping angels. If he died, would he join the stars up above? So that he could look down upon his child? And watch his creation grow? And be with Sally, even if he couldn't be felt or seen by her?

The cart wheels slowed dramatically as the wooden rims graced over harder ground that seemed to crack and fizzle under the cart's weight. It was not of the normal, soft snowy crunch that was produced when the wheels churned over it. It sounded like wet glass as the wheels slapped down upon it.

Achingly he sat up, fighting against the momentary dizziness of leaving his horizontal position of rest. As he did so, the cart stopped. Shadow was beside the red echidna as they surveyed very different lands. Before them were crisscrossing lakes. Though they weren't very large in particular, they covered the entire lowlands in brittle, unpredictable ice. Around this bowl of ice were rugged hills, snow and undulating terrain that for the most part would take a horse, but not a cart. And even then by Sonic's experience, that could take awhile. Going round the lake would add a day to their journey. However, cutting straight through would make them exit the low lands by the only a few hours. But you couldn't take a cart across a lake.

"Do you like riddles?" He heard Shadow mumble to the guardian who had so far stood solemnly beside Thunder. Sonic leaned forwards, hating to not be a part of a discussion. But he knew that he had to learn to accept it. He would not be around forever, magical healing caves or not. He liked to believe the pools could straighten him out, but he knew it was too good to be true. He had only accepted to come…to see and experience one last adventure, regardless of the outcome and to escape the pain of dying at home. To be here now, in the winds of life was a blessing.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Knuckles responded back in the cloying winds as the pasha stood quietly and obediently beside him.

"Well," he heard Shadow continue softly, "how do you solve this one? We have to get a weak hedgehog across these lakes with a cart and a horse. The cart and horse are too heavy combined. Sonic must be carried. But he can't be left alone."

"We're not leaving the cart!"

"You're going to have to pull it then yourself. If you…want to risk your own life to save the supplies."

"If those supplies go, Sonic…" He didn't finish. "Of course I'll risk it! Wouldn't you?"

Sonic saw Shadow glance up at him furtively. And said nothing.

Resigned to fate, Sonic allowed this one other time to be held. He didn't like it; it went against reason and sense. To be carried was in a way dishonorable. Undignified. Even though his body was falling to pieces bit by bit, he still had his pride, and wouldn't let that go so soon, at least when he wasn't sleepy with dreams. So he bit his lip hard and stiffened when Shadow jumped onto the cart and lifted him up. There was a disputable silence between them. Shadow was all business-like. Unapproachable. So Sonic said nothing. He didn't like the silence. The creaking wheels filled the void. Their voices, as they ranted, argued or spoke, also filled the void. Without these, he was consumed by his heartbeat and weedy, struggling breaths.

Shadow too was hesitant in taking Sonic into his arms. But it was not because of the close contact. It was because he could hear his sick heartbeats too, and Shadow didn't like it at all. His ears went down flat, and as he drew Sonic to him, his face twisted into a helpless grimace.

Raking up blankets, he wrapped these tightly around Sonic's gaunt body before fully embracing him. He was lifted from the cart. From the tanks. From his recess of warmth.

Leaving Knuckles to unshackle Thunder from the cart itself, Shadow took off, striding leisurely across the ice with such nimble skill that he barely even put his weight on the dangerous ground even whilst wearing ordinary boots. "We shouldn't leave Knuckles." He croaked into Shadow's flattened ear.

The black elder skated for a bit further, making short work of such distance. It reminded Sonic of what he had lost. The feel of the wind stroking his quills, where miles were but seconds.

_Oh Sonic, what have you done to yourself?_

"He'll be fine. We each have our roles." He stopped on the other side – on safe, compact snow with no ice beneath. He squeezed Sonic tighter to him, one arm braced across his back, the other beneath his rump. "These are all old water valleys where the ice has frozen them and consumed this lower valley. It's the shortest route through and that Thunder of yours can't go over hills like we can. Open ground is our best shot."

Sonic nuzzled into his white lock of fur, listening to a strong heartbeat that dwarfed his own. "You're getting better at negotiating Mobius, ya know."

"How do you mean?"

"I've just realized something… Shades…it concerns you… one day you will fill in my gap. You will become the new hero. You are already the fastest thing alive. I believe it is something you will perform. It is destiny. The Defender of Mobius is a big, challenging role. And you have my child to keep an eye on. It… it makes perfect sense…" He allowed his eyelids to sag. To simply enjoy Shadow's warmth. Knuckles was securing the pasha to a tree trunk on the other side while the echidna got ready to haul the cart across himself.

"It doesn't make sense." But Shadow sounded bemused. Unsure. Some part of him believed Sonic, as much as it was painful.

"Keep Mobius safe. Just don't let things go to your head. Always put others first. Act quickly. Sense another's sadness. Gain their trust. And just be there for them. And Shades…tell my child that I died fighting Robotnik. Not like this...out here…"

"But…"

"And find him. Find Robotnik."

The cart was being pulled. Knuckles was a few kilograms lighter than Thunder, allowing a rudimentary chance to get across without being thrown into the ice. If however Knuckles went under, he would have to take care of himself. Shadow wouldn't allow himself to leave Sonic, even if the dying hero thought otherwise.

Sonic waited for Shadow's reply, and didn't get one. Instead the elder changed the subject, much to Blue's annoyance, "say, Sonic, any names for the baby yet?"

"Y-Yeah. I want to name him Spirit."

Knuckles got across… somehow. Painstakingly over lethal ice that could buckle and crack at any time under the cart's own weight. Rad Red pulled the thing onto the land of snow beside Shadow, face a beaten shade almost as scarlet as his fur. "Supplies…safe!" He really did look immeasurably pleased, Sonic noted. "Cart…safe! That got me going for a minute there! Holy echidna gods on high… it's safe…!"

"Don't forget Thunder." Sonic whimpered, voice sounding horribly delicate and needy, which was the last thing he wanted to sound like.

"I'll be whipping that thing in a hurry, don't you worry." Knuckles paid Sonic a cherishing glance. A deep, happy smile. That cart meant a lot to him, Sonic could tell. Even if the ice swallowed the echidna whole, he'd still be content that he had got the cart across safely. _I mean so much to these guys…_

He wanted to cry for them, but found that he could not. Shadow had a strong future. He was the new hero in the making. And Knuckles forever had a job. The Master Emerald.

The title of hero would trade hands. And Mobius would be under a new dawn of protection one day soon.

XX

It was odd. Sleeping… dreaming… only to wake up not at home… but on a cart, subjected to travel. In frozen wilderness. He blinked, rubbed at his eyes. Seeing so much white kinda hurt. Were they still going? How many more days of this? Where was he? Was he alone...? He stiffened and sat up, panicked and fuzzy with dreams and a low, aching pain.

"Easy." He heard a rough voice say. He looked up to see Shadow peering at him rather inquisitively. "You were shivering. Bad dreams?"

"I guess. Can't remember them much." He sat up, yawned and stretched, glad when his chest didn't respond in pain. "Are we there yet, buddy?"

"No. We're not even close. Soon though. I…" A lengthy pause, "I want to try something with you. It may benefit you… but…"

"Try? Try what?"

"It's better if I show you." His blazing eyes, like hot demon fire, locked onto his. Sonic cocked his head at him, starting to shiver in his thick, insulated blankets. Softly, the world around him drew into a numbing echo and the wheels of the cart was dimmed. The cold no longer his central focus. A voice, loud and powerful, spoke as if lodged inside his skull.

'_Can you hear me?'_

Sonic, confused, looked back into Shadow's curious eyes. "What… am I hearing things?"

'_No. It's me. Talking to you telepathically.' _He nodded silently, eyes unblinking. Lips unmoving. Facial expression as colorful as plain stone.

Sonic leaned forwards, one gloved hand supporting his head awash with pain. "No fair! I… I can't do it back! How can I? Can't we just talk normally?"

'_You do not share or can ever fathom my abilities. I am unique in a lot of aspects. But this is beneficial for you… perhaps… if I connect with you. Try not to block me out. I know it hurts. But the more we do this, the more able I will be to access your thoughts and help you if it is ever needed.'_

"It's so weird. Can you tell what I'm thinking?"

'_Yes. Perhaps more than even you know.'_

"Y-Yeah… Feels like you're invading me…" Something snapped. Chilling pain began to seep in.

'_It shouldn't. Relax. You're getting worked up.'_

Sonic gripped the side of the cart, not only suffering from the groping headache, but a new, blunt hurt growing deep in his chest. Quickly overcome because of how physically weak he was, he slapped his arms around his chest, wheezing and whimpering. He felt Shadow sever the mind connection at once. The lacing invasion was gone, but it didn't lessen the pain. He ripped at the fur on his arm. His ribcage was going to explode… the pain…

He opened his mouth and tried to cry, yet the only thing he emitted was a slight moan.

"Easy, hedgehog. Easy. Look at me. Relax. The pain will fade, I promise." Sonic scarcely heard him. Suddenly he was fighting to breathe, and this allowed the unsettling agony to grow and spread its roots. He clutched at his chest harder and cried out. His terrified noise brought the cart to a halt and Knuckles was running over to them.

He felt Shadow's arms around him, took his hand off his chest, and in no time he was being embraced against soft, warm fur. Sonic shut his eyes, willing the pain to stop. It hurt… so bad. It was by far the worst kind of agony he had ever, ever felt.

"Breathe." He could hear Shadow say, "breathe deep and slow." Gently, little by little as if undoing the kinks in a knotted chain, Sonic melted into his hold and breathed as deep as he could go, then released it slowly before repeating the cycle. The pain that had latched onto his heart so terribly began to fade. It was pure relief to feel it leave. He tensed again when another burning wave swept in, consuming him utterly. "Keep breathing." Shadow commanded almost angrily.

He continued to breathe in deeply and torpidly, knowing that Shadow could both feel and hear it flounder and stumble. _I'm having a heart attack… oh Dowa… _

More pain. He coughed and cried.

"Stay with me, little one. Easy. Concentrate on breathing. You're not going anywhere."

The spasms groping his heart backed off momentarily, allowing it to labor freely for ten seconds before another attack hit it. He feared he was going to lose consciousness. Feared that his heart would be strangled for good by murderous pain and foreign jerks that kept punching it. Over and over.

He inhaled deep, clean air. Forced his chest to keep rising. Shadow's touch remained. The pain was sliding away.

Slowly…

Sonic was very fearful that his heart would suffer again. He concentrated as much as he could on his expanding and exhaling lungs. Focused taking in oxygen. "S-SShades?"

"Shhh. Keep breathing for me. Don't talk."

"Am I having a h-heart attack?" Out of the corner of his eye once he dared to open them, he could see Knuckles sitting on the cart beside him. Through the killing pain, he hadn't even heard him join them. He wasn't sure what heart attacks were supposed to feel like. Never had he thought that he'd ever suffer from one. He was too fit, too stress-free. Too healthy… until the surgery. Until his heart was now failing. And everything… had changed.

He wanted to be angry. How could his heart be giving up now? But Shadow's soothing embrace was like a lullaby. And the deep, rich inhalations of oxygen kept the pain at bay too.

"Nearly." He heard Shadow gulp. Knuckles groped for his shivery hand and felt him squeeze on it tight. "What you had was an arresting arrhythmia."

"What… what's that?" He croaked.

"Don't neglect your breathing exercises, Sonic." Knuckles warned gently by his side.

"Oh… right…"

Shadow held him tight and for a moment said nothing. After some internal conflict, he said, "it's a dangerous heart rhythm. Your medication is supposed to stop them, but every so often the drug can't combat the more lethal ones. These arrhythmias can stop your heart from beating normally and can injure you more… or you can… you can die… It's okay now though. And I'm not going to let go until I'm sure it's over."

And so they rested while it snowed. Sonic napped in Shadow's arms while he was drugged up with more medication, one of them being extremely deep pain relief. Even though his heart was beating much better, his chest still ached… and the soreness had spread as if he had only just had the heart surgery all over again. Once the pain relief had kicked in, he had never felt happier. And he slept in fits and starts. The soreness was numbed. Everything… was numbed.

"Shadow…" He heard Knuckles say some time later as if he expected the little blue hedgehog to be asleep by now, "what happened? Why… what…? I heard him scream… and I came over to find him on the floor of the cart… looking like he was having a full-blown heart attack!"

"Echidna… it was going to happen. I'm sorry. It's just another symptom of his condition. He needs a new heart."

_Yeah. Sure would solve everyone's problems._

"What were you doing moments before it happened?" Knuckles growled pensively.

"I was… connecting with him telepathically. It didn't cause the attack! All right? Maybe I shouldn't have tried it… he's so weak and frail…"

"Any warning signs before it hit?"

Shadow shook his head. "No. Everything appeared normal before the pain hit him."

"Shit… Gods I was so scared… he was crying out, Shadow! I've never seen him do that before! He was in absolute agony!"

"He… he scared me too."

Sonic's numbed mind was too confused to take anymore in. And he was simply too exhausted. He wanted to hear more, but this time he really did fall into the void of thirsty sleep.

XX

There was no more snow fall for the better part of the way. The blizzard from last night had warped the landscape however, making everything different under its icy, tenacious blankets. With Shadow sitting beside Sonic, the cart kept on at a faster pace as Knuckles goaded the pasha on a lot harder. Every step forwards felt crucial.

"I don't t-think the pools exist." Sonic said finally, equipped with mask and tank again. He was a lot perkier after the cold and pain had left him mortally exhausted. He was like a living mound of blankets and layers, with Shadow tagging him with chaos energy to keep him warm enough. Sonic didn't mind the connection at all, and actually shivered in anticipation every time he got a delivery of heat. To keep the soreness in his chest at bay, he had been given more painkillers to swallow that came in these little blue capsules that worked very quickly.

"Why's that?" Shadow asked, voice low and soft. While he concentrated on Sonic, his ears were everywhere. They angled in a different direction every passing moment to pick up or detect any enemies, mainly wandering Arbiters. So far they had encountered nothing out here in this gracious wonderland of death and cold.

"Because every time I look into Red's eyes, all I see is uncertainty and d-doubt."

"Don't you trust him?"

"Well, yeah. I do." Sonic nodded more to himself as if he was trying to reaffirm his own beliefs, "but how can water… heal? It's the most absurd thing I've ever heard. I mean… Either it r-really does do what Knux says it does… or…"

"Or it's just a pool of water?"

"Exactly. Then... then what'll I do?"

"Don't worry. I'll take care of it. I promise."

"How? I have…"

"I know what you have. I'll take care of it."

Sonic looked up at him, more in modest confusion and mounting suspicion. He kept looking particularly at Shadow's pink ammunition belt around his waist. The belt containing all seven emergency capsules that were separate from the ones in the box they carried in the cart. He recognized them to be the same pink capsules Shadow used in the hypothermic needle every so many hours. He hated needles. He didn't fear them as much as he loathed water, but they still harassed him. At least the needle in a way were a panacea. It cured any pain beginning to form inside of him, like a duster sweeping a floor free of forming dirt clots before they had a chance to settle. It also stopped any and all sudden discomfort. So as much as he hated the needle, it was far better than allowing the pain to grow. He hated being so reliant on Ark medicine, hence overlander technology. For now however, he accepted it because it helped for what it was.

"Why… why are you so concerned over m-me?" Sonic asked, keeping his eyes on Shadow and not giving himself the pleasure to look away. "I don't understand. You're acting so… so nice!"

Shadow seemed to be expecting this question, for he neither looked demoralized or bemused. "Sonic, have you ever worried about something or someone… before?"

"Yeah! I fear and worry for my friends… I fear what may happen to them if I'm not here… I feel worried about losing control…" He went to rub at his nose, his finger unexpectedly hitting the side of the mask.

"Well, that answers your question."

"My question?"

"Yes."

As if to end the conversation, Shadow clipped him with a wave of fresh heat that made him flinch and shiver from the overwhelming warmth. Sonic couldn't help but think he had done it at that moment on purpose.

"Why didn't the chaos emerald… work on me?" He tried again, straightening himself up a tad while Shadow leaned back, "I mean… they should be able to heal. We've done it before. You are using chaos energy on me now, born from chaos emeralds. I don't understand!"

"You are so young for someone so brave and _stupid_ that got you so hurt in the first place." Shadow quipped. He didn't sound angry, but sometimes he didn't need to be to get his point across.

"Enlighten me, b-buddy."

"In theory, the chaos emeralds heal the worst of all wounds. From open injuries to indelible sickness. They've been tried and tested for centuries. The echidnas praised them and tried to guard and hoard each one of them. But in order to work, all energy has to go through the bloodstream first, like a drug. It needs to go through the heart to start healing. It didn't work on you because your heart… wasn't strong enough. If it had been, there would have been no difficulties. But to use an emerald you have to be strong enough to take in its raw power. The reason the energy is helping you now is because it has to go through me first. I refine it, weaken it, then gently guide it through you so that it can't harm you in any form or way – IF I do it right."

"The irony!" Sonic said with a twinkle of a smile. Then his head dropped down and he looked about ready to fall asleep. "Why couldn't have bit of metal have hit an arm?"

When he went to look up again across the frozen winter ice that had shrugged indefinitely over all life, he saw a giant overlander standing squarely over a misshapen hill some forty yards away. It was nothing but a black silhouette, a shadow of some dark profile. But a cape moved behind it like a flailing flag. And the eyes as gossamer as the fires from hell.

At this Sonic bolted upright, even his limp quills sharpening into rigid formation.

"Sonic, what's wrong?" Shadow demanded behind him, hand already closing over his tiny shoulder.

"T-There! On that hill!" He went to look up at Shadow, but saw nothing but blank indifference on his countenance. When Sonic looked back, there was no figure. No overlander, and no flapping cape. All that was there was a bulbous, naked tree with a clump of torn, bloodied cloth flailing miserably in the branches it had been caught in.

To stamp out the inviolable silence, Shadow punctured it by saying lightly, "it's just a tree, hedgehog. Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes, yes, sorry. My mistake." He looked away from the sacrosanct white as a breath of ice and chilly wind tempered over them. He listened to the acrimonious churn of the cart wheels. Listened to the chatter of the tree branches clashing against each other as the breeze unsettled them.

It began to snow. It was shining brightly, but the snowflakes spiraled down regardless, hampering visibility. Made the air cooler, making progress slower.

Less likely to live.

More likely to die.

The other two were fairing incredibly well. Shadow was strong and healthy. Knuckles was used to many environments. Guardians had to be tough and stalwart. Still, he couldn't help but feel insurmountably guilty. He was the one that had put them in this situation. Yeah, he loved adventure. He loved risk and danger, but when it came to harming his friends like this, he just couldn't do it. He was endangering their lives.

"The Town of Murdoch is just over this ridge!" Knuckles shouted from the front, "we'll stop – have a nice cuppa tea and rest a tad before pressing on."

"Yeah, like I could really do with some more tea." Sonic added sarcastically.

They passed over the ridge, keeping north-east and through thick, choking woodland. The town came up before them. But what they came to was bitter, ugly disappointment. The town had been burnt to cinders. Houses, the school, even the main memorial in the centre had been ripened into a fetid black. The snowy floor was rampant with fresh and old animal tracks. It was clear this town had been raided, and then burnt to the ground. Most likely by Arbiters who had come pillaging for food and wealth.

Without a word, Knuckles get the pasha going, and they passed the town in a wide arc. There were no bodies. Only blood in the snow.

"Must have happened a few days ago." Shadow muttered, his black body stark and virulent against the snowy background, "so what happened here has been done and all those responsible have long gone. We should be fine."

"But… but what about the townsfolk?" Sonic asked in alarm, his heavy breathing causing the inside of his mask to steam up, "they're in trouble! We… you should go and look for survivors! Out here they'll freeze!"

"Sonic… no. We can't stop to help. Besides, they could all be dead right now."

"They might…"

"I said NO!" Shadow spurned him with a dominate, hateful glare. Sonic backed down into his mountain of blankets. He hadn't the strength to get out of the cart and look for survivors himself, and this brutality annoyed him. Here they were passing a town that needed help.

Enraged, Sonic looked away, keeping his head down, teeth bared. He wanted to argue. Brag to him that they were both protectors of Mobius, no matter the cause. Instead, all he came out with was; "you're no better than Robotnik."

Shadow's first reaction was dark anger and violent retribution. To be compared with that evil overlander was a personal insult to all. However, he knew why Sonic was so inclined to say such a mean thing. "When we fix you, hog, you can save many, many more."

"At what cost? How many more villages will be passing without raising a single paw to help them?"

"Shut up! Both of you!" Knuckles snapped in a brazen whisper. The wheels of the cart squeaked to a violent stop, causing some of the goods in the cart to jerk and tumble around.

Sonic was about to open his mouth and ask why the sudden brake, when he noticed Shadow's reaction. The black hedgehog was still and stiff beside him, ears moving in all directions, eyes flatly surveying the plain, stark landscape with binocular vision. Knuckles too looked left and right, nose perked high.

He could take the anticipation no longer. "Red!" He whispered, "what's wrong?"

"I… I smell…. Oil…" The echidna answered, looking nervous and jumpy at best, "we gotta hide. Go back."

"We can't leave the cart!" Shadow grunted lowly, "it's full of medicine and supplies! How can we hide it?"

"By trying." Knuckles led the pasha sharply to his left, and the cart's wheels started up again.

Nervous and shaky, Sonic looked over the side of the cart, trying to spy something in the darkness of the forest. He could see nothing, and he could smell nothing either. Frustrated, he hooked off the mask and kicked it away from him so that he could try and scent the air. Sure enough the overwhelming stench of oil perforated his senses. It made his tail curl.

Passing one last wave of relaxing warmth into Sonic's frail body, Shadow jumped off the cart like a warrior called into the line of duty.

The cart moved on slowly. Cautiously. But Sonic knew that hiding would be useless. The cart would leave its tracks left by the heavy wheel runes marking the heavy snow carpet. They could probably be followed for miles.

The perfume of oil greased the cold air. Knuckles tied the pasha to the closet tree, knowing full well that they were out of time.

"Sonic…" He said, running up to his side, "get…"

A plume of colorful purple filled the air and echoed against the white backdrop. It landed with a sickening blast against the trees encircling them, shooting up fire from cold, dead wood in an instant.

Two loping Hunters eased out of the reddened blackness from the bowels of the forest like sentries wrought from hell. Their red eyes gleamed from their overlander shaped skulls of shiny chrome. Their thin, gangly overlander forms made them look fragile and delicate, of which they were not. Fast, intelligent and deadly, they always came with an assortment of gunfire and sought out animals by tracking their heat signatures. These rogue droids continued to patrol the animal kingdom with only annihilation as the objective. Even with Robotnik gone, they continued to serve regardless. Such was their loyalty. Hunters had been a menace from day one, and tracked animals of every caliber with tireless motivation. The reason Robotnik had not made more was because they were expensive in resources, and took years to make and perfect.

Dodging to the left, Knuckles landed in the hard snow as the two Hunters took malicious aim, and fired outright. Their machine fire coupled with pulse lasers, scored the trees and snow in lacing whites of melting fire and glorious colors of indigo and ruby.

Shadow ran out at them, throwing his arm forwards to ignite his chaos energies. One Hunter went for the challenge and engaged with him, set on killing the first animal it saw. Meanwhile, the pasha was thrashing and bucking against its harness and rope, trying to rear and break loose. One of its back hooves struck the cart and sent Sonic tumbling backwards. The blankets came with him, and he landed heavily on the compact snow, tangled in his own arms and legs. The racket of firearms and detonating trees made his ears ring. He knew he had to move… and get out quick. His first thought was to go back to the cart. His second was to crawl away and hide. He could not even begin to help them.

Sodden with panic, Thunder kicked and roared, a blast of laser screaming past. Terrified, the pasha lurched forwards, free from the rope at last. Mindlessly, Thunder charged forwards, taking the cart with it.

* * *

><p>Dib07: Sorry, but that be it for now. A long chapter I know, but they will shorten alot now, so yeah! :) Hoorah! So urm, that's it! And thank you for your massive support! XD<p>

**Chapter 13: Before I Fall Apart**

**-My scarecrow dreams**  
><strong>When they smashed my heart into smithereens<strong>  
><strong>I be a bright red rose come bursting the concrete<strong>  
><strong>Be the cartoon heart<strong>

**Light a fire, light a spark**  
><strong>Light a fire, a flame in my heart<strong>

**We'll run wild oh**  
><strong>We'll be glowing in the dark<strong>  
><strong>Glowing in the dark-<strong>

**Coldplay - Mylo Xyloto**


	13. Chapter 13 Before I Fall Apart

**Dib07:** Thank you all for the huge support, I can never get over it! ^_^ This fic after all is for you guys and gals, cuz heck, this fic would have been a useless, old file in a heap somewhere in my computer or under my bed otherwise. So really, really glad I decided to post it after a lot of shoving from DC111! XD

**DanceDream: **Yeah, it was a scary chapter, and they'll be more like it. :( LOL! Your Sonic's initial reaction! He can say that again! XD Hahaha! Sonic ditching Knux and Shadow once he's cured? Hahaha! What a story that would make! XD I don't think Sonic's THAT heartless! No pun intended! XD Ah yes, Knux and Shadow are really putting in the effort. Heroes, both of them. I love their selfless confidence and decision to take the journey. They could have all stayed at home, but no, they did something about it. They are true warriors, and glad you agree! You are under the impression that Sonic maybe giving up? Animals can tell when death is approaching. Sonic is merely getting ready. It's a depressing subject, so I won't dwell on it, but this heart condition and his failing body is out of his control, sadly.

**::**_Third, and this is a Christian's point of view; it makes this all the worse that Sonic has no assurance of where he'll go if he really does kick the bucket. Especially since I know how to know the answer, but since he's not real, I can't tell him. :( ::_

So sad... I'm getting upset here, lol. No good! Dib, man up! XD I wish Sonic knows. I wish you could tell him. He needs to burrow Shadow's bible, stat! XD Well, actually it was in the cart...so... :( Gosh yeah, Shadow was dead calm on that heart trouble part. Like really. But IF Sonic saw his panic...well, that wouldn't have been good for him! XD And Shadow knew it!

Lolol, Shadow is way too hard on himself. Indeed. :(

I love your reviews and staggering support. You are always with me, DanceDream. You and Sonic both! :D

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Distracted by the sudden motion, the Hunter fighting Shadow turned round, its waist rotating to suit is needs. With perfect aim, it fired. The entire cart shot up into flame. "NO!" Shadow pelted the android with a flash of energy, knocking the machine off its feet. His chaos spears decimated its only weak point, the power cables in its fibrous neck.

The pasha tore from its harness, leaving the burning cart. The two oxygen tanks however furthered secondary explosions that turned the air a bleached, hot yellow. Knuckles covered his eyes. The Hunter kicked him down with a long sweep of its metal strut for a leg.

When Shadow next looked up, the cart was a ball of hot, livid flame.

_All our supplies have been blown to kingdom come... All the food. The water. The medicine… gone._

Like a bull, Shadow charged into the Hunter from behind. His weight almost sent it forwards, but its legs sought balance and it whipped him back with its arm before filing the air with gunfire.

"Chaos shield!" A golden, translucent shield enveloped the Ultimate Life Form, saving him from damage. The bullets skewered over the shield and peppered the heavens instead.

Taking his chance, Knuckles launched himself into the air with a powerful kick of his back legs and hammered the Hunter in the neck from a slash of his knuckles. Spurting iridescent oil, the metallic abomination fell to its knees as if in final prayer before slumping sideways into the snow, further chugging out its blackness upon virgin white.

"Is there anymore?" Shadow asked.

"No. They mostly come in twos. It's a Hunter signature. That town was a trap to lure in vagrant animals! We shouldn't have gone near it! They used it to bait us in! Like a lure!"

"Sonic!" Shadow started, alarm rising in his voice. Together they turned to see the blue hedgehog sitting up in the snow looking most perplexed but otherwise unharmed. Regardless, they rushed over to him.

"I'm okay. I'm okay." He heartily replied when they pestered him with concern. And for once he was telling the truth. He sported no bruises or fresh wounds of any sort.

"We have to get out of here… now! More might be on the way!" Knuckles insisted.

"Get Thunder! He's scared and alone out there!"

"We can't, Blue. He's probably run miles away by now. We'd be wasting precious time. Get up, we have to move."

Sonic's hand went to his arm. A soft, aching growl etched up from his small throat, "ya gotta go look for him! He's gonna be out there in the freezing cold! Find him! Please!"

Shadow shook his head. "I told you we don't have time! You are everything!" He picked up a blanket that was only smoky at the edges that had started to turn the pink fabric graying black. He nestled it over Sonic's thin shoulders.

"He'll die out there!" The blue hedgehog's voice rose to a croaky, shrill plea as he looked to Shadow and then to Knuckles in clear, angry dismay, "you can't just_ leave_ him! Well fine, if you can't be bothered, then you can watch a real hero at work." He didn't care how much he had shocked them. He was too disgusted at their uncaring attitude towards another, whether that be a plainlore beast or not.

He went to stand. Shadow was faster, and a hand shot to the back of his head to wrench at the scruff of his neck.

_Neat trick_. Sonic thought. Shadow's simple act had made him go limp and any fight that had once stirred inside him had now flooded out.

"You'll hurt yourself, you stupid hog." The elder spat in feral anger that made Sonic's own ire fade a little in comparison, "you can't stop for Thunder!"

Despite the undeniable hold on his neck, Sonic tried to wrestle himself free. It was a hopeless move. But the anger reawakened old, weak energy into something he could use. "Don't do this, buddy! Please! He's…he's not safe… do this for me…he has more of a chance than me." As he struggled and fidgeted, causing the blanket to roll from his shoulders, his antagonistic antics made his nose spurt with fresh, pouring blood. "How could you be so casual about this? It's not fair! If I had the strength… If… I'd…"

"Hush. It's done. You're too important."

Sonic bared his teeth even as blood ran down his canines, causing his pearly whites to be fouled in dark crimson, "you're wasting your time with me. Save a life that's worth saving! Do it for me."

"No."

"DO IT FOR ME!"

Exasperated, Shadow let him go and stood up. "Cool yourself off. Thunder has…is _gone_! Has run for miles by now! Gone! _Poof! _It's just the way things are." He turned. Walked away.

Sonic stared angrily after him. Hurt. Betrayed. He could do nothing to prevent anything. It was like trying to hold onto water. Useless.

Shadow walked over to the cart that was still burning. There was nothing left to salvage. Nothing at all. The heat made his face burn up. The flames hurt his eyes. The last two wheels holding the cart up finally collapsed, sending the entire frame collapsing into the snow.

So fervent was Knuckles' haste, that he forgot about Sonic's own ability. With the echidna's back turned, Sonic went to stand. And he succeeded in pulling himself up and keeping his balance – a task that was already beginning to drain him. Once up and legs spaced apart just enough to keep from falling, he took a ginger step forwards. And another one. As flaccid as his muscles were, he was surprised at himself that he was actually making progress.

He looked up to see Knuckles far away from him. It felt like a mile's distance. So badly he wanted to run. He may as well have had shackles on his legs with an iron ball tethered to the end.

He licked his chapped lips and took another uncertain step, coughing as he did so. His right leg started to badly shake from the unaccustomed strain. Even the floor, once solid and flat, now bobbed up and down like water. White water. It made him feel very queasy.

His trembling legs gave out, and he fell bodily into the cold snow again. Gravity must have surely increased since the Wayland explosion. The ground was so powerful! It kept trying to pull him down with such vehemence.

"Blue hedgehog, you try too hard. Tantrum over now?" A pair of gloved hands came down and helped sit him up. He looked up, limp ears trying to swivel, but couldn't.

"S-Shades?"

"It's okay. We have time. I'll make you a board, like a sledge. We'll roll you out of here, no problem. Just give me an hour and we'll be on our way again."

Sonic knew the elder hedgehog was trying to shore up a solution, not only to cure the current problem, but to make Sonic forget about his own incapacity if only for a while and to help combat his crumbling pride – of what little was left. But showing this much kindness hurt even more. He didn't like it. At all.

"We don't have time for that." Knuckles had obviously overheard and came crunching through the snow towards them, "more Hunters will be on the prowl! Sonic," he said, directing his attention to him, "I'll carry you. It'll be no bother."

Sonic smiled but shook his head at the offer, his earlier anger completely dissolved and forgotten. Though losing Thunder hurt badly. "I don't want to be carried, Red. Please… I'm not done yet. I'll be fine. I just… don't want to be carried like a hoglet."

"No one's here to see. There's no shame."

"No thank you, Red."

Knuckles sighed in defeat and knelt down to stroke his head. "You're an idiot, Blue. A real, stubborn piece of work. But if you insist."

It took two hours making the sledge, at which time it was getting darker. The sun began to sink low and fast. The cold sweeping snow got ever more terrible and thick.

With wheels crudely made and fixed at one end of the board salvaged from the village and a strong cord of rope tethered to the front, Shadow could safely pull it forwards with plenty of room for Sonic to either sir or lay down on the wide piece of solid board. Unfortunately Sonic felt every little bump in the ground as he was being pulled along, of which the snow mostly insulated many of the rocks and branches that littered the woodland floor.

As it grew darker, Knuckles was hissing and spitting with rage. Swearing often in his ancient echidna tongue. It was easy to see why. They had lost everything. The cart, the tent. Food. Anything helpful against the wilderness. And night was approaching.

"We need to get of the Badlands so that we can build a fire," Shadow was saying, sensible and calm as always, "that way we won't be seen and we can concentrate on food. What I will do is warp to the Ark and bring down food and more insulation material, possibly a rough shelter."

"We can't get out of the Badlands now! We lost all that time building a bloody, fucking board! The border is still miles away! If we kept going at a run, we'd be crossing it at midnight!"

"You shouldn't get irritated so quickly!" Shadow barked softly, "we've lost a lot, yes, but Sonic's lost more. Stop being so selfish and think ahead!"

Sonic sat, puzzled. What had he lost that was so vital?

"You think you're so smart!" Knuckles stopped walking and turned to face the elder. "Why don't you just warp Sonic to the pools of panacea?"

"Two reasons." Again he sounded so calm and chilled, refusing to lean into the same anger that was goading the guardian. "I don't know the way to the caves of healing. Only you do. And even if I warped us all miles ahead of where we are now, towards the mountains, Sonic is physically too weak to undergo teleportation, I regret to say." They stood there for a time, Shadow secretly daring Knuckles to imply a test of the teleportation method to see how selfish he could go. The challenge was turned down and the guardian regarded Shadow's pink ammunition belt with sorrowful eyes. "Is that all that is left?"

"Yes. I'll make it work."

The echidna wrinkled his muzzle at him, that old anger coming back. He hated it when Shadow had to lie.

He looked down at Sonic. "I'm carrying you. Then we're running to the border."

"Urm… no? I'm quite happy sitting here, if you please."

Knuckles trudged over, arms open. Sonic inched backwards on the board, throwing his own arms up to defend himself. "You wanna get to the caves or not?"

"Yes!"

"Do you want to see your child?"

Sonic closed his eyes, then opened them again. "Y-Yes. I do."

"Well?"

"I am not being carried! Run! Go on! And bring the pools to me!"

Breaching his dignity, Knuckles stooped down and took him into his arms. Sonic kicked out upon first contact, shouting and begging for the guardian to let him go. The exertions made him cough heavily, lungs drawing in sufficient air with difficulty without the constant succor of the oxygen tanks.

Holding him in his arms, Knuckles found the place at the back of his neck and stroked him there in slow, gentle circles. Sonic's heated struggles thinned out until he hung eerily limp in the echidna's arms. "I thought you would have learned to listen by now, Blue. We still have a lot of learning to do, don't we?"

Snuggling up to the echidna, Sonic didn't satisfy him with a comeback, and Knuckles was able to stand back up again with no more resistance.

Picking up the board, Shadow tucked it under one arm. "Lead the way." He said.

The darkness groped through the white plain and the cold was unbearable. Even Knuckles, infamous for being hardy, resilient and tough, was affected. His legs shook and ice grew beneath his nose and chin. Constantly he shook it off like a canine, only to have snowy crusts forming on his brow and dreads. After plunging from the Ark, a costly expenditure of energy, he came back with a little overlander tent pod that had insulation inside it, and special light material that kept the weather from getting in. With new blankets, they nestled Sonic within, still too far from the border to keep at it.

Reluctantly, Shadow eased the hypodermic needle into Sonic's arm, never as easy thing to do when his skin was covered in fur. His thighs were covered in past needle pricks and his arms were fairing no better. Soon he'd have to start injecting the vital medicine into his stomach.

Tired and shivery from the gelid thrash of winter, Sonic barely registered what Shadow was doing. However, throughout the entire trip of running to the border, Sonic's timorous respiration had worsened. To combat this, and to give his heart rest using pure oxygen, was via the apparatus. But now that it had been blown to bits, they couldn't counteract his illness. All Shadow had obtained from the Ark were overlander inhalers. Though it was better than nothing, these short term fixes weren't a permanent solution.

Together, they helped sit the little hog up using the plush pillows and sheets from the Ark. "H-How much further?" The hedgehog asked, eyes half lidded. He was clearly exhausted and wanted to sleep, but they had to feed him first from emergency tinned food from Shadow's space home. Only thing was, without fire, it had to be cold.

"Two days, less if we move real quick." Knuckles opened a tin of potato and leek soup. "Hey, Shadow," he said, "is this all the food you had for him?" For they themselves had fresh bread, and a tin of chicken soup. Like Shadow, Knuckles too was a carnivore if he so desired.

"Yes. He doesn't eat meat, and bread takes a lot more digestive energy, of which his system will struggle with." Grabbing the inhaler, he gently pried Sonic's mouth open and eased the tip of the dispenser inside. "Breathe." He commanded as soon as he pushed the capsule down. Sonic did so, windpipe soothed open by the chemicals from the device and the extra puff of oxygen pushed into his lungs. His wheezing was abated a notch. Unsatisfied, Shadow repeated the process, ensuring that Sonic got what his body needed.

Putting the inhaler down, he sat aside to allow Knuckles through to feed him cold soup from the tin. Though none of them had eaten since leaving White Haven, Sonic wasn't particularly hungry. He slowly chewed through each delivered mouthful as if he was trying to eat glue. It didn't help that the food was cold, but after five good spoonfuls, Sonic refused more. "Just need to sleep, g-guys. So sleepy…"

"You need to eat more to keep your energy levels up, Blue. Just three more spoonfuls. Come on." Knuckles was practically begging. However his pleas were lost on the sick hedgehog. He slipped down into his provided patchwork quilt and nestled down to sleep.

Not satisfied, Knuckles left his side only long enough to pry a new stethoscope from the pile of clothes, bags and other things. This instrument's color was a listless black. The echidna drooped it over his shoulders and began to move the padded blankets aside. Sonic opened one eye and groaned almost angrily when he saw the instrument. "Give it a r-rest, Red. Really. You're starting to annoy the heck outta me, b-bud."

"I know you hate it, but it'll just be for a moment. I swear. I'm doing this for you, you know. Not because I enjoy it. I care."

"Then look at this. It saves so much time." Sonic raised his wrist and revealed to him the numbers on the cardiac watch just like that.

Knuckles shook his head. "No. Those are just numbers. The watch can't tell me anything more than that."

"Then w-why was I given it?" He crossed his arms defensively across his chest and turned to lie stubbornly on his side.

"Well, why do you always have to be so difficult?"

"You expected a p-patient to b-be easy?" Sonic nuzzled his pale cheek into his pillow, breathing jerky and weak.

"You know what's funny? You're quite happy to let a girl do this."

"Do w-what?" His left floppy ear twitched to try and catch what he said in more detail and in doing so; he went to lie on his back again, peering at his doctor in open, bewildered perplexity.

"Sally. You let Sally do this all the time. You never dared raise a word against her or even said the no word. Whatever she did, you complied. Even if it consisted of scary stethoscope snakes. Funny, huh?"

"Yeah. F-F-Funny." He coughed shakily.

"So are you gonna be brave, Blue? Or are you gonna throw a paddy?" Sonic hissed between his teeth. It was an angry sound, but one born from irritable frustration than temper. "So, you gonna play nice?"

"If I ever live through this, Red, I am gonna bury your Master Emerald pieces. Real, _real_ deep."

"Good. That's what I wanna see. Lift your arms."

Sonic did so, hesitantly. "Red…no…"

"Hush. What are you so worried about? This stethoscope ain't gonna kill ya."

"It's n-not that."

"Big baby." While Sonic was being cooperate, which was a rare feat on any day, let alone this one time, Knuckles was quick before the little hedgehog changed his mind as swift as a light switch. Plugging the listening pieces into his inner ears, he placed the cool, metal disk on thin ribs beneath the warm confines of his bed garments. Sonic swallowed, and froze as if the touch was pure, deathly poison. "Relax." The emerald guardian encouraged soothingly. "Everything's going to be fine."

"Don't like…"

"Next time, I'll give you roses with this, huh?"

Sonic peered up slightly against the tear-stained pillow, one dull emerald eye blinking tiredly at him. "Thanks, buddy. For… f-for keeping the jokes up. M-making me f-f-feel better."

"Hey, what are friends for? I'll do anything to make you smile."

"But I a-already am smiling!" His lungs rattled chokingly with coughs and Knuckles had to wait until they passed. "Soon we'll be f-fishing in the spring! Y-You and me. A-And…and…you…and m-me…" His one eyelid began to sag down lower and lower as his muddled brain tried to comprehend his current train of thought. Knuckles rubbed his back quills with his free paw. He had exceeded his energy levels and was falling headlong into exhausted dreams. In the next few seconds, Sonic lay unnaturally limp. Arms down. His body had temporarily shut down on him to save on that tiny flicker of life caught between heaven and Mobius.

Sad and angry, Knuckles sat in languid mortification before removing the stethoscope. He tucked Sonic back into his warm nest of blankets before retreating to Shadow's side.

"Well?" The elder asked.

"Seventy two. Let's leave it at that."

They ate their own meals in silence, yet their minds wondered furiously as the wind howled and screamed right outside the walls of the fabric and steel pod. All they needed to do was cross the last leg of Feral Woods and proceed out of the Badlands. Further on to the east would lie the Wayland Mountains. To the north, the Yuan Fort, and finally, the Sentient Caves.

"Hey, Shadow," Knuckles began, "have you noticed what Sonic's been doing lately?"

"Yes, I have. I am no novice when it comes to observation."

"So you've seen it too? The way he often used to turn in the cart, ears cocked as if he's listening for something far away? Or on alert for some great danger?"

Shadow nodded flatly. Sonic did the same thing repeatedly like he was developing some kind of obsessive compulsive disorder. He's sit in the cart, then spin round suddenly as if he was trying to locate something. He would relax after the moment he looked round, but it wouldn't be long until he did it again less than a minute later or less. It was a reaction brought on by nervousness. Like a rabbit spying for the prowling wolf. Out of curiosity, Shadow would look as well, trying to uncover why Sonic did this. But there had never been anything to smell, hear or see. Nothing but the swelling of snow as the cart moved along. The scant trees of subjected misery, and the empty, hungry skies. There was never anything, or else Shadow's superior senses would have picked it up long before Sonic had.

Just what was he trying to see… or hear for that matter?

"We could try asking him about it." The echidna resounded with a sullen air of unwonted reluctance.

"Could try. Knuckles…" The echidna perked up, for Shadow had never once called him by name before, "are you sure these pools work?"

"My ancestors used them. The stories…"

"They are just stories. What evidence… what proof do you have?"

"Belief is all the evidence!" He said, putting the empty tin of chicken soup down, "why else did the tribes of old live so close to it? Why the stories? They are not built up on lies, surely?"

"Most stories are. Fabrications of the real thing. A ruse, a good tale for the bored, the young and the old. We all wish for immortality, wealth or a world without sickness. It is a common dream, so it's no wonder that they may have made up a place as a symbol, and to wish upon something false. Like an idol. If they believe in it enough, it matters to them, even when it is not real."

"You are a creature of logic and science! You don't understand magic and natural healing!" Proud of himself, he took a swig from the water pouch strapped to his waist.

"You creatures are so medieval! You are all a bunch of girly women, worshipping old, inferior gods and believing in ancient cultures!"

Knuckles spat out a mouthful of water. With narrowed eyes, he swept the moist droplets from his lips and screwed the lid of the pouch back on. "So you disapprove?"

Shadow got up to stand in the small pod, ready to smack some sense into the echidna. For too long their fury and disappointment in themselves had been bubbling away like a hot cauldron. Emotions seething and curdling towards boiling point. Here their friend lay dying, and for all the world, there was nothing they could do for him but to delay the inevitable. Losing the cart had been the catalyst to his demise. And if the pools weren't going to work, Sonic was going to die…

About to stride towards the insolent guardian, Sonic made a squealing noise within his warm paradise. The two of them stopped on the instant and looked down at their tiny, gaunt friend. He squirmed beneath his blankets, whimpering and whining. Knuckles relaxed a tad. "He's dreaming." He lifted Sonic's hand from digging into his arm, the usual habit he made when he dreamt, and sometimes Sonic clutched so hard he made blood dribble down from the cuts he made.

"Violently... They must be bad dreams." Shadow added, coming to rest once again by the blue hedgehog's side. "They're getting worse too."

"How?"

"The heart drugs I give him come with their side effects. Such a potent overlander drug does not come for free. But I had no choice but to use them on him."

"So… it's just bad dreams?"

"Yes. And hallucinations. But mostly it fuels the fever, and neutralizes any antibiotics that I give him. It's amazing."

"What is?"

"The way his body fights. Even now, it tries to crush back the infection, just enough to keep him alive. The antibiotics are doing nothing. His immune system, weak though it is, is fighting before that packs up too."


	14. Chapter 14 White

**Dib07:** Hi again, lol. Thanks for the reviews, all. They feed me! ^_^

**DanceDream: **Ah yes, no one forsaw the risk of the breathing tanks! They are VERY flammable! And yeah, Sonic is so selfless that it would kill him. The seconds will become precious soon, and he did kinda want Shadow and Knuckles to spend time looking for a horse that has cantered miles away! Heh, he is still a hero all right, getting up and walking like that! Quite a feat! Yes, this fic is no easy read, so if you want to back out at any time, don't hesitate. I won't be offended. Urm, I'm really happy to hear about your news of your parents, and sorry to hear about the sixth grader's father who has cancer. I am thinking of him. Being mortal is such a fragile thing, which again highlights this story to every degree. I hope you keep enjoying this story, but be prepared for what follows if you decide to stay! XD I love your reviews and your support! I need it more than you know!

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Shadow slept uneasily, sometimes jerking awake from having thin, troublesome dreams that didn't sit well. He'd imagine himself still walking across the blankets of snow, always in earnest to finalize their quest. Over and over, his dreams ended or began the same. The caves: empty promises. A death trap. No cure. And no salvation for any of them.

Sally standing behind a curtain of red.

This time, unsteady, wheezy breathing woke him up. He wasn't particularly sleeping much anyway, and was almost relieved from the distraction of trying to sleep that had become a tedious chore. Any little noise Sonic made woke him automatically, like a mother tending to a newborn. Instinct.

The wheezing got worse as Shadow sat up, rubbing his eyes. A tiny oil lamp burned brightly in the corner of the tent, allowing warm light to see by. Sonic was only half awake himself, propped up beside him via the soft pillows. A hand was clutched hard against his chest, respiration too stressed to be anywhere near normal. Shadow was fully awake in seconds and wrapped an arm around Sonic's tight shoulders slowly so as not to frighten him. His sunken eyes were near enough closed, legs fidgeting slightly as if he were still dreaming. Mouth open as he fought for air.

"Sonic, you okay?"

"Shad… Shades… Can't breathe…"

"Yes you can, little one. Let me help, but you'll be fine." He grabbed the inhaler that he had left close by on purpose and eased it into his mouth. He pushed on the capsule and this instantly lifted Sonic's chest. Gently, he then sat him up. Sonic was more than likely panicking from the sensation of suffocation, and it didn't help that his lungs were full of excess fluid.

Leaning him forward and hoping this would help more, Shadow continued his massages. "Are you hurting?"

"A… a little…"

"Take these." Shadow popped a couple of tiny pills into his mouth and gave him a sip of juice to drink to help him swallow it down, "they're good, safe painkillers. They'll ease away whatever's troubling you in minutes."

It wasn't like Sonic to knuckle down to pain, let alone admit it, so he had to be hurting rather badly if he was over his normal pain threshold.

Sonic swallowed the tablets down, breathing much better than what it once was. "There's a reason why I h-hate water… When you're under the surface, when you're d-drowning… you c-can't scream. Its agony, but you can't make a noise. Such a s-slow, quiet d-death… This is what this feels l-like… it's like… I'm drowning… and I can't even s-scream. And there's nothing I can do to prevent it…"

"You leave that to us, Sonic. We'll find a way. You just need to hold on. Promise me that you'll try."

"I'll… I'll try… Shades… I'll try, really. You k-know I will." He managed through the cumbersome coughs.

After giving him another good dose of the inhaler, Shadow lifted him up and eased him onto his lap, covering him with blankets. Then he rested back on Sonic's propped pillows that were lined with blue quills, hugging him close. To help distract him from his poorly state, he said quietly, "remember your last trip to the Ark? A summer ago was it? You were off exploring like a kitten. Before I knew it you had found some cookies and tested them out in my microwave."

"Best snack I ever h-had." Sonic returned weakly, eyes drawing to a close. "Shades… why do you skate instead of run? Is it because it saves… on e-energy?"

"No. Actually the reason is completely different. It was because Maria used to give me skating lessons in our ice ring. And I adopted that into my shoes so that when I ran, I'd always be reminded of her. Now get some sleep. You're going to need all your energy." He watched Sonic fully close his eyes at last, lips still parted. Lungs still in some distress, but he was much calmer, and able to breathe.

Softly, torpidly, his chest rose a little slower in relaxed falls and rises. He had gone back to sleep.

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Wrapped up and warm, Shadow was in pure, snuggled comfort. Now the night was still, empty and cold. A pure, black, heartless void. A frozen nightmare.

A light sleeper anyway, Shadow dozed on Sonic's shoulder, mind curdling round unsolvable problems and having horrible half-waking dreams about Knuckles' witchcraft caves. Caves that seems further away every day. It was during one of these thoughts that he heard something. Like a dry twig snapping rudely outside. It may as well have been a shotgun blast. Shadow sat up, ears rigid and stiff like another pair of attentive eyes. Visage resolutely facing the closed tent entrance. There was a lengthy pause where he heard nothing else and was about to relax and rejoin Sonic in sleep. Maybe a plainlore beast had wondered this far north too, nibbling on frozen, black roots and stripping the bark from trees to sate its starving belly? But there it was again, another dry _snap _that tore through the calm, still air. And there was something else behind that sound too. Like a faint whirring. A soft, ductile purring that combed through the dead air like rustling motors.

Layering Sonic with blankets to help lock in his departing warmth, Shadow also pulled his hand away from his arm. He had been kneading it again in his sleep.

Carefully he pulled on his boots and gloves and unzipped the tent up the middle. The sound was like sandpaper to his eyes.

With enough room to spare, he poked his head out into the raw night, his steamy red eyes looking murderously out. His nose produced short, puffy clouds with each soft breath.

But there was nothing to see. The moon was shining bright – angelically so in overpowering beauty. Its light layered the world in sparkling, dead silver, contrasting the heavily black trees surrounding their little tent. The cold began to sting his nose. It had to be at least minus 40 out here or more. Enough to snuff the life out of anything.

He heard and felt movement behind him. Knuckles brushed against his back. "What's the matter?"

Instinct guided Shadow onwards. He slipped out of the little gap and crunched into dazzling, crisp snow that sparkled keenly as though a million little diamonds were buried only skin-deep.

"Shadow!" The echidna yelped fiercely, his own head protruding between the tent flaps, "where are you going? Get back in here!"

"I hear something."

"Well I don't!" Shadow shook his head at him, and began to gingerly step through the cumbersome snow. "Shadow! You can't leave him! His booster! It's due soon!"

"Use your stethoscope then! That'll tell you when he'll need the update."

"You're insane!" Knuckles squeezed from the tent and into the gelid world of death. He turned and quickly zipped up the flaps to trap in as much heat as possible. Regretting, seething, the echidna strolled out after Shadow in heavy, long strides that tore down Shadow's careful approach.

Under the gaze of the moon, the sparkly snow looked almost good enough to eat. It bounced the light back up, almost making the snow painful to discern. It also strained the eyes in a world drained of color, causing headaches.

Shadow stopped often like a hesitant deer sensing for the hunter with the gun. Straining to hear something. Knuckles paused with him, hot breath clouding the air in foggy segments.

"Shadow…we need to…"

"_Listen_!" He snapped in dry command. His eyes looking devilish in the close darkness.

There, in the retching blackness was something. Subtle. Like an infrequent stirring of the wind. It was the rustle of metal joints. The tread of snow.

Hunting eagerly for the source, Shadow became the stalking wolf. Senses poised, he looked terrifying as he gingerly made steps towards the whirring of gears. Red eyes glinting murderously through the tall, ghostly trees of night.

The sounds got ever closer. It only now just dawned on Knuckles how sensitive Shadow's hearing really was.

In the tight niche of trees where nettles were hunched over in frost, was a spybot. It was a large creation with a single, giant optic eye on a recorder box that in turn was being driven around on caterpillar treads so that it could conquer rough terrain in moderate silence. The eye lifted upwards on a thick, metal and rubber cables hat joined to cement a metal crane in the centre. It looked at them in silent interest. Shadow walked over to it, shivering in hate. Scrunching up a single fist, he hammered it into the droid's creamy aluiema shell and ripped hungrily for its wires and tubes. It felt good to tear the life out of something, even if that life was blinking lights and circuit boards.

The giant eye fixed them with a good, lasting stare as the red light went out in its optics. Then the crane sagged and miner electrical discharges popped and fizzled in its gaping hole that Shadow had enjoyed making.

With no wind to even rustle the twigs and branches, Shadow and Knuckles stood over its corpse in forlorn puzzlement.

"It's nothing." Shadow said at length, "they are masters unto themselves. There is no greater power behind them. Nothing controlling them. No one behind the monitors in some secret lab. Just don't tell Sonic what we saw."

"Why do you say that?" Knuckles whined, brow furrowing hard. Lips cracking in the cold, "you…you think he's gonna die, don't you? So there's no need to tell him, right? Am I right, Shadow?"

The elder gazed at him from across the spybot's body. His glancing glimmer was like a physical rebuke. His eyes looked at him distrustfully as if he knew that Knuckles was a traitor. "Witchcraft won't save him. He will die in a cave thanks to you."

"So that's what you really think? All this time? You came simply to give Sonic comfort?"

"Think what you like."

The snow began to come down once more. The falls were heavy, frequent. And stopped or started suddenly like clockwork. Knuckles plodded behind Shadow through the white, cold beating silence.

When they got back into the tent, Sonic hadn't moved. He lay tucked up and fast asleep, none the wiser.

And so it would remain that way.

**XXX**

"Tails, can you pass me the basket with the red wool in please? No, not that one, the one next…yes, that's it. Thank you." The fox passed her basket of requested wool and then slumped before the table again in his customary chair. Sally patiently set down her tiny blue knitted baby top before reaching for the wool to begin knitting the second. She rocked gently back and forth in her rocking chair, the hearth glowing hot and bright in the room, making the place cheerful and snug within. Sally herself always sat by the window so that she could discern the snow prevailing bitterly outside as it consumed all. Watching the magical snowflakes fall in deceptive beauty made her daydream a lot lately. Every day was a promise and a letdown. Every day was hope and languishing disappointment. Tails had his white muzzle buried into the crook of his arm as he leaned on the flat surface of the table, ears down flat. Staring at the growling hearth or staring at the newly fitted carpets of cherry red. How long had it been? Two days? Three? Four? Funny really. If Sonic had been fit and healthy, he could have made it to those caves in an hour or so. Well, a few hours. It was a bad winter after all. The snow cumbersome and thick so that it felt like you were walking through marzipan.

"Oh Tails. Cheer up, sweetheart." She said, lacing her knitting needles through a new red thread. "Give him one more day."

"I should have gone out there with him." Tails mumbled through the fur of his arm. He refused to make any eye contact with anyone since the heartbreaking departure. "Should have been there. Should have…"

"You would only have got in the way, hun. I know it hurts. Just be patient. Since whenever has your brother let you down?"

Tails bit his lip, face somehow sinking further into his arm than possible. It was clearly obvious that the silence meant he was thinking of some reason in the past. "Never." He spoke at last. "Except when he left me to battle Robotnik. He's always leaving me out of things."

"It was only to protect you, honey. You know that."

"But I hate it. I swear… I swear that if we ever meet again, I am _never_ leaving him. Not for anything. And I mean it."

Sally went to smile whimsically, reassure him a little more. But then she caught sight of Sonic's wheelchair sitting in the dark corner of the room beyond Tails. It reflected everything in a heartbeat. The memories. The winter ceremony. Why Sonic had to go out into the white. "Everything will work out, Tails. I've known Knuckles for a long, long time. If he truly doubted these caves would work, he wouldn't have fetched up the risk. Just send Sonic happy thoughts. Brave thoughts. And he'll be okay. I promise." It was impossible for him to know what she was going through. She was holding it altogether on the outside. She was a leader who couldn't afford to weep in public. But when she was alone, especially at night to sleep in an empty bed, sometimes the only way to sleep was to cry into her pillow.

Tails refused to hear her encouragement and buried his head in his arms and started to cry.

Sally's eyes dropped down to the new patch of red material she was weaving and at the growing bump in her belly.

"Tails… I…"

The door opened. Amy and Lochiel peered in anxiously. "Sorry we didn't know, Sally." The pink hedgehog said. "But we bring news. May we come in?"

"Sonic?" She cried. Tails lifted his head up in bemused hope.

"No, I'm sorry." Amy replied uncomfortably, stepping into the room with the silver mink. "Nothing yet on that front. But there is something else."

Lochiel took over. "There have been reports of Arbiter marauders in the west coast in great numbers. They have been kidnapping animals, it has been reported. But we do not know where they have been taken. And these Arbiters seem…better organized now, princess. We assume they are building up their forces for some purpose. Never before they had united for anything. Common pirates do not cooperate with other common pirates."

The west coast was in their territory, though they only held onto it weakly because there was no superior leadership to govern a full country without allies, resources and troops. For that, Sally would need to become queen, with or without a king to win the respect or other ruled countries. But now was not the time to fill her father's throne. The time didn't feel…right. They had foolishly thought that thwarting Robotnik would decimate their enemies and enable them to relax. But it wasn't looking like things were going that way at all.

Knuckles, Shadow and Sonic were gone. Unable to protect the west against any and all threats.

"Set my inner guards in larger perimeters, and send two scouts to report of Arbiter movement. Once the situation has been assessed by Tutra, the General, drive them out from the coast and keep it guarded."

"But that would mean fewer guards here!"

"I know what it means. Pass the word."

Lochiel nodded. Amy stayed a little longer, as if wanting to say something more. But her gaze wavered, her courage broke, and she left with the mink.

Meanwhile, Tails slipped away, grabbed his coat and walked out into the snow, eyes vacantly taking in the stars above as they twinkled and sung around the moon. The warm windows of the cottage behind him did nothing to soothe him.

He remembered the tales Sonic told him about the stars. Of the Circle of Dowa, Canto, and Uhjack. Right now they were at their brightest, the Circle being particularly noticeable in the north sky. He never thought he would ever pray to those gods above for anything. But lately, it was all he did. When Sonic took him in as a cub, he had been bruised, bashed and bloodied by his own clan. Parents dead or lost, he had been ousted from the group mostly because of his freakish two tails. Sonic had heard the commotion from the gang and had come running to aid him, facing predators twice his height. But Sonic blitzed in there so angrily, so adamantly to save a tiny, baby cub. It took a while to trust Sonic straight off the mark. He was worried about being hurt again. But Sonic was not only trusting, but deeply loving. Tails could tell by just looking into his eyes how much love was there.

Sonic took him in as his own. No questions asked.

Now it was all broken like shattered icicles.

Sonic did not deserve what had happened to him. But happen to him it did.

Tails stopped in the snow and collapsed into the white. "Sonic, I miss you. If you go, I won't be able to stand it. I love you, bro. Come back to me. Please…"


	15. Chapter 15 Black

Dib07: Hiya, I be back! Though I forced myself to upload this. Yes, forced. I remember awhile back when me and DC111 were chatting and she said; 'Yeah, Sonic. You shoulda had on a steel breastplate when you fell into that debris.'

Yes Sonic, that would have helped!

DanceDream: Hiya, right, important message here. DC111 left a lovely reply to your review at the bottom of her latest one-shot 'The Way Wind Blows.' Go and read it NOWS! Sorry about the late update. I couldn't upload it during the Christmas season. It's not the kinda story that's particularly happy and of course it's that final dip towards the end. So yeah… Anyway, your reviews always cheer me up, and I love your reflections, your feedback and opinion. You've been thoroughly reading this story since the beginning, and I congratulate you. It's a shame you don't have your own account, so you have to wait until you get a reply! But I always make sure I do, every time! I hope you had a great holiday, and a Happy New Year! Made my new year resolutions?

Storm337: Shadow: he's too serious! Someone needs to draw a smile on his face!

Syn: Hiya. Nasty accident you had there. Made me wince reading from your experiences. Not nice. Hopefully you are feeling much better now. Nothing beats a full recovery.

If You Look At Me I Will Blush: You sound a bit like me! XD Panacea is not something I was ready to submit over the holiday period, plus I was worked like a donkey over the Christmas period, plus I am feeling terrible at the moment. I know, I am full of excuses! You know what, I will do that and listen to 'If I could,' by Calaisa. Very thoughtful of you. And thanks. I do need some inspiration at the moment if I may confess! :)

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

**Chapter 15: Black**

The toil began again early dawn. It was painful forcing Sonic up and into peeling daylight of a young morning, but time was running too short. And they were behind schedule.

Doing the same method as before, Knuckles carried a sleepy hog and they ran through the thick, torturous snow that threatened to stop them. The hills were rugged and steep. Infuriatingly they had to go around them rather than around. It was too slippery otherwise, and injury out here wasn't desirable.

Shadow trailed behind, finding it difficult to navigate through thick snow without his hover boots. Knuckles was faring better as he was more used to rough, unpredictable terrain. Sonic snoozed in his arms, head resting over his shoulder, bent ears protected by ear muffs. Shadow unconsciously felt the remaining capsules around his waist. There was only four left. He would have to start spacing them out further, and he wasn't sure if he could handle the consequences.

Knuckles stopped in the whitewash of snow and glanced back at the struggling black hedgehog.

"Don't stop!" Shadow roared when he looked up long enough to see that the echidna had paused. "MOVE!"

Shaking his head, Knuckles lowered his head and ploughed into the billowing snow up ahead.

Shadow continued, smelling animal odor on the air, but it was not their own. "Arbiters." The discernable mark of blood clung to the cool winds in subtle tones, but he could still seek it out for what it was. He paused and turned, finding the source of the vile stench. It was coming from behind them. They must have picked up their tracks, the recent snowfall not thick enough to hide their recent passing. "Good. I need to take my anger out on something."

Straying behind, he took to tree cover to set up an ambush while Knuckles proceeded along carrying the ailing hero. Knuckles wasn't even aware he was alone until he stopped to look behind him, dreads frolicking and snapping in the cruel, heartless wind. "Shadow?" He waited for a reply. A shadow… a figure approaching. Anything. He grew colder waiting, so he turned back to face the insolent snow, teeth chattering. Sonic was more or less sheltered in his arms, so he'd be okay for some time.

Pushing his legs through the compact snow, Knuckles started to run again, muscles burning. Face so cold that it had gone numb. He exploded out of the woods of teeth and black dreams and back into wild flat plains of blinding snow. The city of Bridge Falls was to the west, a few miles of their location. He was going to pass it, disregard it. No stopping now. Already the tall, looming mountains of the Waylands arched up out of the thick, white smog like judging gods of fearful splendor.

"Red…" Whimpered a tiny voice in his ear. Knuckles started, but it wasn't enough to stop him from running. Nothing could now. He was only going to go one way, and go as fast as he could possibly go. Whatever had befallen Shadow would have to wait, and if anything, Shadow could follow his tracks. But they had passed the border now. It was a straight cut to the caves. Less than two days away! "Red…"

"Yeah, what is it?" He tried to speak through frozen lips. They were chapped, and bled if he so much as smiled or grimaced.

"I… I d-don't feel… so… s-so g-g-good…"

"You'll be fine, True Blue. If you're feeling sick… it'll pass." So attuned was he to what lay ahead, that he wasn't paying any attention to the ground directly in front. His foot snagged on an old tree root and he was catapulted forwards. He tumbled into the frozen snow; face first before curling away and rolling onto his back. Panicked, he sat up to discern the package he cradled for damage. Sonic was dazed, but otherwise fine. Somehow a natural instinct had kicked in and Knuckles had rolled him away from the snow… and the impact without thinking about it.

"We're being w-watched…" Sonic coughed, breathing strained and shallow. He pointed over Knuckles' shoulder to where they had just run from. A robot sentry with a wide ocular eye surveyed them twenty yards away in the slashing blizzard. It was nothing immediately dangerous, yet all the same, it served its purpose with deadly intentions. Its single eye took in all and broadcasted it live from wherever it was based at. It stood like a tripod, with tiny, quick moving legs that carried it from one destination to the next with profuse duty.

"If Robotnik is dead…" The echidna declared thinly as he slowly gathered the strength to stand in the pouring snow, "then why the bother? Why the continued surveillance?"

"Because h-he isn't d-dead."

"How do you mean?" Sonic's confession was incredulous. Baffling and untrue. The blast had been too potent for anything within range to survive. The hedgehog himself had been a miracle, but only just. Only by medicine and some very fast acting assistance.

"Because… because I know. I know… he's all around. He's watching us…"

"You're scaring yourself. His droids are on autopilot. Their commander is dead and they don't know it yet. Come on, we've got miles to cover."

Knuckles kept at it, slugging step by precious step through the ugly, hateful white. The virulent snowfall kept swirling down, covering anything and everything. Turning trees and mountains invisible and causing his head to spin. His natural instinct told him to keep heading north-east, towards the caves. Towards salvation.

An hour passed, or so it felt. And no Shadow turned up to join him. It was possible that even the Ultimate Life Form had got snared in the confusing storm, and without a guide had got lost.

Incredibly the snow kept stretching out, with no foreseeable cover anywhere. It would be getting dark again soon.

"Red… can y-you s-stop? Dizzy…"

Knuckles patted his bony back through his many layers of clothes, "sorry, Blue. I can't stop. Not until we at least find some shelter."

"In this p-place? Can't ya d-dig a giant… hole… and…" A powerful rush of wind snapped the rest of his sentence away.

Knuckles grinned and slowed his turbulent jog. "A hole, huh? This snow sure is hard, and might hold if I dug into it, but it wouldn't be that much warmer inside."

"Where's… where's S-Shades?"

"He fell behind. It's okay, he'll find us. He's the Ultimate Badass!"

Sonic squirmed against him, feeling a tad uncomfortable. "Will he…" He began to cough again, harder than normal. As always when he started like this, Knuckles slowed even further and roughly slapped his back. Sometimes it worked. "…find…" The coughs sounded worse. A small beeping noise sounded, so loud that Knuckles could hear it over the roar and scream of the building storm. _What the fuck is that? _He thought, thinking that it must be one of those robot sentries setting off an alarm. It was only that he stopped completely to rub Sonic's back up and down did he realize with dawning horror that the strange beeping was an actual alarm. From his cardiac watch.

His own alarm rising, Knuckles dropped down to his knees and leaned Sonic back so that he could look at him. His little blue friend had been coughing blood. Bright, frothy red fluid that spilled down his chest and onto the snow, spoiling its purity. Knuckles' body had grown so numb from the cold that he had been unable to feel the blood splashing against the fur on his shoulder.

Holding him in his arms and trying to keep him warm at the same time, Knuckles patted his back a lot harder. "Breathe, Sonic. It's just a little bit of blood. It's okay, I promise."

The alarm kept sounding. While Sonic struggled to draw air into his hurting lungs, he brought up more blood. It dribbled down his nose in slow rivulets. Frozen with fear, the guardian gently found his wrist and turned the screen of the watch towards him. 375 bpm.

"Red…" He gurgled through the bloody liquid filling his throat, "I d-don't know what to…"

"Shhh, easy. Don't talk." He hugged the delicate hedgehog to him as the wind howled and swept them into a snowy oblivion. How long had it been since Sonic's last injection? He needed medicine… and Knuckles had nothing on him to help.

"Shadow!" He cried into the feral blizzard, "SHADOW!" It was useless now, hiding his panic from Sonic. Getting help overrode all and everything else. Sonic wheezed and coughed against him, finding it too difficult just to breathe. "Shadow! Where are you?"

Getting back to the problem at hand, he leaned down towards his friend, holding him close. Sonic gulped and gurgled, gushing blood from his mouth in heaving splatters. His lethal shivering had started long ago, and now it heightened, causing him to shiver thickly in Knuckles' arms. The alarm pounded into the echidna's ears. The numbers on the watch kept climbing. But it wasn't over. Another a final bout of red vomit, Sonic clung to the guardian's arm, breathing beginning to slow from its hastened, sickly pace. Then the bpm on the watch began to drop way too steeply. Falling all the way from 400 to 180 in seconds. Just as Sonic's heart rate hit the low 70's, Shadow's dark profile blossomed from the white, wispy depths like an angel. And he came running.

The Ultimate Life Form was covered in scratches and fresh lacerations. He looked like he had been battling with sharks. "Bloody Arbiters! They've been following us right from that start like vultures after our belongings…"

"Shadow, the capsule!"

His eyes and ears pricked up simultaneously. He came over, the going awkward in the snow. "Keep an eye on the numbers on the watch." He growled, whisking out the needle and loading it. Knuckles nodded, too weak with mental strain and anxiety to have the strength for words.

The new, invigorating medicine was eased into Sonic's system. Dark, berry blood still erupted from his mouth. Shadow eased him from Knuckles' arms and laid him down on the snow, resting his head to one side so that he couldn't choke on his own gore. "Set the tent up now. We can't go on any further while he's like this." Shadow said without taking his eyes off his tiny partner.

Numb, feeling faint, Knuckles stood up. He grabbed the tent from Shadow's backpack and began to pop it open with desperate paws.

"Sonic, look at me. I'm here." Shadow stroked his pale cheek with one hand, receiving no response. Sonic had either mentally collapsed with exhaustion, or had gone into shock.

Knuckles was as quick as could be, the wind nailing at the tent like it had teeth to use.

"The tent's ready!"

They brought him inside and wrapped him in blankets, the numbers on the watch still a very poor 42. It kept rising, only to suddenly drop again.

Knuckles did not like the expression on Shadow's face. "Well? You gave him the medicine! Why isn't it working straight away like it normally does? Well?"

"He was overdue by 15 minutes. That's enough to severely damage him."

"Where the hell did you go? You abandoned us!"

"I saved your lives!" Shadow spat. Then quickly recollected himself. Knuckles could wait. Sonic needed him badly right now.

"Can't you give him another capsule? Make his heart… work better?" The echidna asked, suddenly ashamed at both their outbursts.

"I don't know. I could give him half of one, but that means less to use on him for later. Anyway… the Arbiters had followed our tracks," the elder explained calmly, "they could smell our food. They were starving themselves. There were a lot of them. I had to make sure I killed every single last one to stop them from following us. I had to make_ sure_. Thing was, the distance between me and Sonic weakened my connection with him. As I've told you before, I can tell when he needs the medicine. But this time, I couldn't. I tried to be as quick as I could…" _And I couldn't…_

XXX

With Knuckles fast asleep and catching back some energy; Shadow took some time looking after Sonic, blaming himself for not being there. For not helping him when he had all the medicine. They could have done things differently. Knuckles could have stayed back, fighting the mob. Shadow may not have known the way, but if he had kept heading in one direction…

Warming up a cup of soup using his chaos powers, Shadow woke him up, the small hedgehog already propped up in bed to help alleviate his troubled breathing. Before Sonic had much time to comprehend reality from the safe cocoon of his dreams, Shadow tipped the hot nourishment towards dry lips. Reflexively, the blue wonder sipped at it once, then turned his face away, grimacing. "N-Nooo…"

"Come on, little one. A few mouthfuls. It'll do some good."

"Feel sick…" He struggled to open his eyes, determined to see where the cup was coming from so that he could try and defend himself from it. Shadow eased the cup forwards and forced another mouthful down him. They had been out here for three days, four come tomorrow. Sonic's appetite had withered. First he had wanted to eat. Then he started not eating at all. With an overlander, no food in three days or hardly any, made them weak, but they'd survive for another week on fluids alone. Since Sonic's metabolism was so high and body so small, he couldn't last nearly as long. Even two days with barely any food was lethal. And he had no fat in his body to keep his energy up to protect his organs from the cold. This was looking bad, really, really bad.

Swapping the soup for some warm orange juice from the Ark, Shadow tempted him with that instead, and got the same reaction. "No… S-S-Sha…" He fell into choking, pained coughs that he could not breathe past. Shadow dropped the juice and collected the hedgehog into his arms, thumping his back, though knowing it would do little to help.

Cupping his hand against his mouth, Sonic choked and hacked into it, whole body spasming from the costly strain. This was enough to rouse Knuckles from his exhausted sleep. In a word, he panicked. Rushing over, Shadow turned to him, still lovingly stroking Sonic's rattling back. "It's okay… give him a moment."

"He's not well, Shadow! What are we going to do?"

"Not well? That's a very good news update! I had no idea!"

Sonic managed to draw in a desperate breath, lowering his hand away to see it smothered in bright blood.

Cursing, Shadow drew out the syringe. "Echidna, load it for me, I don't have three hands."

"You're giving him another one already?"

"Yes… he needs it now. Come on, we don't have all day!" Though Shadow didn't say it loud because their patient was conscious, the update of medicine had come a lot earlier. Organs failing faster, his body needed the medicine all the more.

Pink capsule loaded, leaving Shadow with only two left in his belt, he pricked the needle into his stomach with smooth efficiency. Sonic clutched Shadow's chest fur tight, feeling the cold needle sink in, tensing, and trying not to tense.

After it was delivered, Shadow set it aside and brought both arms around him, squeezing him tight. "Shhh, all over, little one. All over. You're going to be fine now."

"We're so close to the caves! We gotta… we gotta go now!"

"In the dark?" Shadow rasped hotly, "it's too late now. You can see in the dark, but I cannot. He needs the rest right now."

"He's dying, Shadow! The caves are less than ten miles away! We can make it in less than a day if we run! And don't stop!"

Shadow heard Sonic swallow thickly against him, eyes wide and staring. Pupils hugely dilated. With a firm hand, he stroked him along his protruding ribs with great care. "He'll make it."

"Are you sure there are no capsules left in the Ark?" Knuckles persisted, looking feral and very, very afraid. "Have you looked everywhere?"

"You think me stupid?" He growled, eyes narrowed, "I had looked for days. Or for something else I could use that performed a similar duty. There were none. But there's something else you need to know."

"W-What's that?" He asked nervously, not sure if he wanted to know.

"His body is changing rapidly." Shadow tucked one of Sonic's ears against his chest and covered the other ear with his hand so that he couldn't hear their conversation, "all his organs are failing simultaneously. In the last stages, animals panic. Their moods change completely. Or they just go silently like a fading candle."

"Don't tell me this!" Knuckles rasped, furious, "get him to the caves!"

"We shall! One more night! He needs the rest!"

"He can rest in your arms while we make a break for it!"

"Then check for the weather. Tell me what it's doing out there." He lifted his hand away from Sonic's cocked ear. The little blue hedgehog's eyes were still staring into space, body shivery and inert. However, his hands were still tightly clasped to Shadow's fur. Whether Sonic realized he was doing this remained a mystery, or whether it was because he was already in those mental stages: to seek out warmth, and to remain there, a natural instinct to help stay alive.

The last injection had helped stem back the strengthening arrhythmias, but it wouldn't last. Not for long.

"Hedgehog," Shadow whispered into his ear, "look at me. Please."

He peered down at the forlorn creature he cradled in his arms who in turn held tightly onto his chest fur as if he was about to be torn away. Eyes unmoving. Breathing timid and shallow. Things weren't looking good. He was already in shock. Mind reeling into darkness without him even catching up to realize.

Knuckles parted the tent flaps slightly, nose sticking out into the frozen winds. Already his bones began to rattle from the rolling snowfall and air that was soaked with bitter ice. Hurriedly he closed them tight, shaking his head. "Another small blizzard. It might not last long, but I guess we'll wait… an hour. I suggest we both get some sleep before the final leg of the journey. It's going to be a tough one."

"An hour? That's all?"

"Yeah. Shadow, the damage's been done, medicine or not, so we have to try. And try it quickly! Or he'll die right here! In this tent!"

"Shut up! Don't say another word! Just do your job, and I'll do mine!"

Knuckles hesitated, ready to say something, expression hard and anguished. At last, he backed down and crawled under his blankets. "One hour! Bring him over here. We're all sleeping together."

XXX

Sonic awoke not much later while the other two were fast asleep, quickly trying to reengage some energy during their brief, regimented nap. He was between them, covered in the most blankets. However, what woke him was the gentle sigh and whisper of the cold wind sweeping in from the open tent flaps. His blankets were iced over in a light coating of frost.

Knuckles and Shadow remained asleep, oblivious to the winds trying to claw out their heat.

Rubbing his eyes and passing up a few chesty coughs, he got up, feeling terribly sick and weak. When he looked to the tent flaps, knowing that he had to close them, he saw something that made him freeze. A large, dark figure was standing not far outside in the sharp, tatters of snowfall. It was black and demonic. Like a shadow beholding no detail or color. Only the thick, red eyes set in the centre of a bulbous head.

"Who… wh… what are y-you?" Sonic croaked.

"I? I am He. The Overlander you destroyed."

"H-How?"

The figure turned and a shadow of a cape behind it flurried upward in the wind as the silhouette began to walk away into the valley.

"Wait! No, come b-back!" A lashing, throttling pain bit into his chest and Sonic staggered across the tent floor, gasping. "C-Come back…" He crawled to the tent entrance, tired eyes taking in the whiteness. The blank canvas of a dead world. The figure was still there. Was it Robotnik? Was he still alive?

The shadow began to move again. It moved along slowly like a ghostly phantom, gliding over hills, always heading to the east.

Sonic had to reach it before he lost all trace of the strange phenomenon.

Somehow he was able to stand, holding onto the tent fabric to crane himself upwards. Once he found his feet, he stepped outwards into the wilderness, falling into the snow. The grueling agony in his chest abated just an inch, and he was able to rise again. He didn't feel the stinging, biting cold. He didn't feel the frozen ice on his bare feet. He concentrated solely on the figure leisurely strolling ahead of him.

"No! Wait… p-please!"

He threaded through the thick snow as fast as he could possibly manage, which was a terrible limp. Falling over and over. To breathe actually hurt. Everything… hurt. He wanted it all to go away.

He heaved himself up a hill and then rolled down it until his body smacked on dry ice and he went gliding along it until at last he came to a stop. He sat up slightly on his side and saw the figure standing proudly before him just mere feet away. Just as well. He hadn't the strength to go any further. He was spent.

"What are you doing here?" The dark, whispery outline asked. Eyes unchanged. Just staring, like twin rubies.

"I…" He shook his head, "I can't… remember. Something about… a c-cave… and w-water…"

"Why?"

"I… I can't remember. I don't even know where h-home is…" That pain again, worse, crunching away within his ribcage. He yelped and clutched his chest with one hand, unable to breathe for ten seconds. Eyes closed, he waited for it to pass, but it wouldn't.

"You can't go home yet." The voice changed. It sounded smooth, young and bold. When Sonic peered back up the black indiscernible shape had changed. What knelt before him was the image of himself. Fur healthy cobalt. Eyes shiny emerald. He looked sleek and not underweight. But as he kept looking, he noticed that this other hedgehog's chest was dripping blood. "It's just a little further. It's the pools. I need you to hang on. Robotnik is still here, in this world. Listen to me…"

"It hurts…"

"I know it does, but you've got to hold on. There is a gift that no one else can ever have, and it'll be yours soon. I'm with you, but please, please hold on."

"Where's… where's Sally?"

The other blue hedgehog rose a hand and gingerly, hesitantly placed it on Sonic's chilly forehead. "We are the blank canvas. The beginning. Close your eyes and start to breathe."

"Hurts." Exhausted, he laid his head on solid ice and closed his eyes.

TBC


	16. Chapter 16 Panacea

**Dib07:** I apologize for the length I have left this story hanging. I promise I shall not do this again. I've been having some personal issues and I've wondered off the road too many times with this story progression. As you can see, this is a big chapter and we are very close to the end now, but not all is as it seems.

Some readers were a tad confused over what happened to Sonic last chapter. I like to leave a lot of things to the reader's interpretations, but I shall clear a few things up just in case;

Sonic saw an image of Robotnik and this 'shadow' made him leave the tent to follow it. Sonic is on human medicine which is too strong for the typical Mobian hedgehog, and as it has never been tested or tried on his species before, so he suffers from hallucinations, pain and lethargy from such strong drugs. Also, Robotnik was just a vision. A nightmare. And he was sleepwalking in a way, only he was more awake, still dreaming. The Sonic he saw out on the ice was however not a dream or a hallucination. It was himself. His spirit coaxing him on. His own ghost if you will guiding him forwards.

I hope this helps!

**LiesAboutCaves:** Yes, your review had me giggling for a good few minutes, I have to confess! I can see I had you in suspense, of which I am very, very pleased! I hope, hope you haven't given up on me and that you are still going to read this! And this chapter may answer at least one of your many questions! XD

**Death: **LOL! Pretty name! I hope my little explanation helped, and please enjoy the story! It may answer many of your questions, or not!

**Storm337: **Yeah, I think Shadow should have installed a security device to stop certain blue hogs from escaping! XD This chapter will answer a few questions, and no doubt produce a few more. We shall see!

**WinterMuffin:** Yes!

**DanceDream: **Crush 40 songs hmm? Very nice! They do know their music! They are one of my favorites and I used to listen to them all the time. Holy! You're starting to hate the number 4? Oh man! LOL! Shadow should have rationed them out huh? 4… dude… Must admit, caves still haunt me after writing this story *cough cough*.

Knuckles and Shadow – despite how good they are in general, they are letting the stress affect them so much. It is startling, and Sonic still never yelled back at them to 'shut up.' He is too polite for that, but it doesn't help, what with his hallucinations and confused state of mind. Shadow should have studied their predicament more, but Knuckles is very impatient and very cynical of Shadow's decisions too much, hence the conflict. They are like two bulls always opposing the other. Don't worry though, DanceDream, we are nearly at the end. Sonic's suffering won't last much longer and then the conclusion will open it up for the next part. Or will it?

You flatter me though. Amazing author huh? I wish! I do my best, heh. I can't even take myself seriously. XD

Well, I wonder what you'll think once you've finished reading this chapter! You have ME on edge, DanceDream!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 16: Panacea<strong>

Knuckles jerked awake, face hot, body sleek with sweat. "What a nightmare!" He sat up and held his head. The images were dancing in his eyes. So fresh and real. He had dreamt of wading through the snow in a raging blizzard much like what they had suffered, and Sonic was in his arms, already dead. The pools had been right there… and it had been too late. Thank the gods it had only been a dream. There was still time.

Instinctively, like he always did when he woke, he glanced over to see Sonic's sleeping form. It was a habit he had adopted ever since they had left Faux Forest. It was a comfort to see him sleeping. To see his chest rise when he breathed. Hear his gurgling, unhealthy coughs. But when he glanced upon his blankets, the tiny indentation between him and Shadow, it was decidedly empty and it held no poorly blue hedgehog inside. Only dozens of little blue quill spines.

Knuckles flew out of the blankets, paws coming to rest at his temples. "NO!"

At the noise, Shadow bolted upright, body stiff and rigid as he looked for the source of attack, teeth exposed beneath his snarling lips. But when he saw Knuckles staring at the blankets beside him, he realized when he didn't want to. "Where… where is he?" He asked, utterly confused and dismayed for once in a very long time. Knuckles just stood like a lemon, jaw slack. Eyes unblinking.

Forcing himself into action, Shadow ran his hand along Sonic's blankets. They were still tepid. He couldn't have gone long. The tent flaps were open only a tiny bit, enough for an anorexic to slip through without disturbing their sleep. What startled him even more was that all of Sonic's outdoor clothes and boots were still among theirs. Untouched. Sonic had gone out… naked. However, as much as it was shocking, it wasn't all that surprising. When animals were about to die, they left the company of others to die alone. Though not all had kept this biological trait, hedgehogs probably still retained it. Or maybe it was just pride that had pushed Sonic away from help.

Rising, Shadow clenched Knuckles' arms and shook him roughly. "Pull yourself together! We've got to find him! He's probably right outside, now come on!"

Breaking from his bemused shock, Knuckles ripped open the flaps of the tent and saw bloodied footprints. Sonic's footprints. They led away from the tent and into the wintry world.

Not having time to strap their own clothes on, they threw themselves out the tent and madly followed his tracks. Knuckles was hyperventilating. He felt like he was going to throw up.

"Why, why?"

Shadow, using his speed, scouted ahead. It was lighter now that the blizzard had abated a little. The moon's shine threw a backdrop of shadowed color over a senseless, sleeping world.

The tracks (some of the footprints were deridingly bloody) led up a small mound and Knuckles climbed it, stomach lurching with dread. And that was when he saw him. Laying limp on ice that had frozen over a big lake some time ago.

"SONIC!" He slid down the hill, Shadow right behind him. Knuckles ran over and gathered the hedgehog's cold, flaccid form into his strong arms and away from the deathly ice. Shadow slid over the ice to stand behind him. Eyes wide and unseeing. Panic was welling up in his devilish red orbs like foam. "We'll run back to the tent! Now!" Knuckles cried. It was useless to shut the panic out. While they regressed back, Knuckles patted Sonic's ice cold cheeks with one free paw while his other held him against his chest; seeking a response. Anything. "Sonic, old pal, can you hear me? Open your eyes dammit!"

They ran back even faster, Shadow silent the whole way. When they reached the tent Knuckles was panting heavily from fear and anger than exhaustion.

"Is he breathing?" The black hedgehog asked in concern.

"Barely." They brought him inside and laid him down on the blankets. Instead of Sonic's usual greyish white cheeks, his face was dark and blue while his chest was scarcely rising.

Shadow placed a finger over the pulse in his throat while Knuckles covered him with blankets. "Why would he do that?" The echidna asked petulantly. His voice laced with suffocating sorrow. "This isn't like him at all! Why didn't we bring a ring with us? That would have warmed him up in a moment!"

"Keep rubbing him with your paws!" Shadow hissed, pulling out a stethoscope and plugging the listening pieces into his ears. Even if Sonic hadn't been out there for more than two minutes, he was hypothermic. If he wasn't warmed up soon, then there was no point in pursuing their quest.

Shadow tried to wipe away the blood oozing down from Sonic's nose and lips. This explained the bloody footprints. With the other hand, he eased warm energies into the blue hedgehog's body at slow intervals to keep from upsetting such a chilled body.

"We've been working our asses off keeping him alive!" Knuckles yelled, his paws making good, quick work at rubbing Sonic's skeletal body up and down as roughly as he dared, "and then he goes and does this…!"

"Keep focused! We should have been prepared for all eventualities, echidna! Otherwise we wouldn't have come out on this trip at all! We would have condemned his death back at home. It's as simple as that!"

"We get him to the caves! Now!"

"We can't unless he stabilizes. If we try now, the sudden movements as we run might upset his circulation. I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't good enough! I… I promised Sally! She'll be expecting us back… expecting him back! I… I won't be able to face her again! Please, you gotta do something!"

"Me? You're the doctor!"

"You have chaos powers! Make him well!"

"I can't do anything more! Knuckles, calm down!"

A sign of life stopped them both. Sonic's eyes flickered open once before closing. Lungs retching out more blood. Legs fidgeting languidly against the quilts. Shadow tensed, pupils constricting. "Echidna, are you ready?" He asked in a calm, lucid breath that spelt out more doom that a gunshot report.

"R-Ready for what?"

After a final spluttering cough, Sonic fell limp and his tiny, thin chest ceased to rise.

Dumping the stethoscope, the little watch filling the air with warning blips, Shadow lay Sonic fully on his back and started performing rigorous chest compressions. Knuckles sat there dumbly, as if everything was an unfolding dream.

"Not happening… not happening…"

"Echidna! Help me! What did your book teach you? Think!"

"Can't… can't…"

"Come on! You've saved him before!"

"We had more medicine! A defibrillator! Can't you warp to Faux Forest and get it?"

"Are you fucking mad, echidna? I cannot warp anywhere I please! The distance would literally kill me, even if I did it in stages! Now help me! What did the book tell you?"

It was as frustrating as hell. He went back to Sonic, counting hasty compressions and risked to stop only to pinch Sonic's nostrils shut and breathe down into weak lungs. Dutifully, his small chest rose and fell steeply. He repeated the process carefully before resuming the compressions after checking for a pulse.

"Contact… hedgehogs like c-contact… warmth…"

"CPR information you fag!"

Something snapped inside the echidna. He came over and knocked Shadow out of the way. "CPR no good." He said, voice a ghost of its former self, mind reeling to try and remember what he had rehearsed, "heart rate too fast to mimic. Precordial thump only way… without proper equipment."

"Are you insane? Precordial thump is only for ventricular fibrillation! It only works 25% of the time! I've read up on some shit too!"

Ignoring him, Knuckles clenched a fist together, aimed and hit Sonic squarely on the lower half of his sternum. There was a crunch of breaking ribs. "Yes, risks. Always risks…" Knuckles spoke as if he were reading from a text book, "commotio cordis likely. Broken ribs. Shattered sternum." He ran a paw over Sonic's still chest and the result was not what he wanted. He raised a second fist. "But it's worth a try. Always worth a try." He brought his fist down. Another crack of ribs. The sound split through the air like dry snapping branches. Shooting forwards, Shadow breathed into him. His actions made Knuckles turn away, glad, sorrowful and relieved. It had worked. He knew. "Whoever wrote that book… deserves to be knighted. Good gods, is he okay?"

"Getting a hedgehog breathing isn't a walk in the park either." Shadow said with a grunt. "Help me lift him up."

Gently they eased Sonic up, minding his numerous broken ribs. A third cardiac thump was undesirable. Ribcage too damaged for future attempts.

Knowing exactly where to push in his diaphragm to force those tiny lungs to work even if the action was violent, Shadow pulled his lower chest in tight in one smooth action. When nothing happened, he used his fingers and wedged them assiduously directly beneath his ribcage. Breathing into a hedgehog's lungs didn't work nearly as effectively as this.

"Keep trying!" Knuckles prompted desperately. Eyes lambent and determined. "This is working!"

"Shut the fuck up."

Thrusting his arms beneath Sonic's diaphragm harder than ever, the tiny hero exploded into bloody coughs. To hear him gasp and cough again came to them as a miracle. Battling to save someone's life really had its rewards. The alarm on the monitor snapped to a pasty silence.

Shadow remained helpful and confident, even when Sonic was coughing blood and wheezing weakly. They turned him over onto his side to help his wispy breathing, then Knuckles gently snuggled him with blankets while keeping his chin up and softly rubbing his chest up and down, starting from his throat all the way down to his tummy and back again.

Together, they shared their elation in silence. For it was too soon to cry out in joy yet.

Knuckles was making Sonic as snug and as comfy as possible by rearranging pillows and plump quilts. As he massaged Sonic's chest gently as an encouragement to breathe, he felt five broken ribs. His tender sternum was also cracked down the middle.

Shadow cast his eyes over at the blankets, wanting to do more. All he could do was slip in another injection, totaling the capsule count to just one left.

"Did he have another heart attack?" Knuckles asked softly, eyes tearful.

"I think so. He's weak enough anyway, for this to happen."

Gazing sorrowfully at Knuckles, Shadow admired him because he upheld a duty to persevere. To protect. And be loyal. He was everything. A good friend. A noble leader. Many were very envious of these abilities. And Shadow felt honored to be here, helping him.

"So long as he doesn't stop breathing again… I think we're okay."

"Wonder how Sally's holding up? And his brother?" Knuckles asked, disjointing him from his thoughts.

"Not well, I can imagine. I doubt any of them are getting any sleep."

"Shadow… we've got to go now. To the caves. Please!"

The black hedgehog's brow creased. Full of uncertainty. Ears reflexively swerving back. "You know the way. Take him. I'll give him enough energy to last him an hour, by which time you need to inject him with this. He can't last any longer without it." He passed the echidna the needle already loaded with the last pink capsule. "If I fall behind or get lost, carry on without me. And don't stop. For anything."

XXX

They stuffed everything into their bags, which wasn't much, as they had merely burrowed from the Ark after the cart was detonated. With Shadow folding away the tent, Knuckles strapped Sonic to his chest so that his chin could rest on his shoulder, and the little blue hero was wrapped in dozens of thick blankets.

The sun was boasting its bronze face over a crisp, wispy white world. The wind was sharp and scornful. Hills and elevations sloped around them, smooth or rough: into the curves of ridges and cliffs until it looked as though they were walking on the spine of a mammoth dragon whose craggy skin had melted into the land at their feet.

Knuckles was going as quick as he was able to, not pausing to sniff the wind for danger or to look ahead to see signs of Arbiter tracks. He roared on forward like a bull with nothing but fire groaning behind it.

It wasn't easy, bracing the brazen winds, gritting his teeth and keeping at a solid, swift pace without tripping or slowing down.

Sonic remained stagnant. Lifeless in his arms. Even the chilling winds and falling snow that matched his muzzle color did not rouse him from his sickly stupor. Shadow joined him through the blithering snow, a hand over his eyes to help protect them against the smothering white.

"Shadow!" Knuckles yelled, "why don't you take him? You seem to have a better connection with him!" He could barely shout it over the whistling gales. Shadow passed in and out of view as waves of white tried to push them back.

"No!" He growled, "only you know the way! I daren't think of getting lost whilst holding him in my care! Thanks to this storm, we can barely see each other! You have to be the one to get him there!"

Using his ancient navigation instincts, Knuckles kept jogging into a lolloping run, pausing only briefly to get his breath back, and even then he kept walking fast. The time came to give Sonic his final injection. The last elixir to keep him going only for so long. He was still warm, and this was hopeful. Knuckles started running again, the needle gleaming in the thick, lurching snow.

_Only through Shadow's machinery and technology have we ever kept him alive. The first time, it was the defibrillators. Now it's the boosters. Had the surgery even helped at all? Or did we botch that completely? Did we ever actually help Sonic? Or did we just prolong the inevitable? If so, are we the true cause of his pain? _

X

Not long later, the snowstorm picking up, loose, wild hurricanes screaming in the distance like sirens, the promising cliffs and hobbled hills that housed the Sentient caves came to light.

At last.

With them swimming into view, the caves opening their ancient maws to them, Knuckles lengthened his strides despite his exhaustion.

However, not all was good news. Several cave mouths resided all over the craggy mountain sides, and more were hidden behind a wall of snow further on along the mountain roots like rabbit holes. Some had wooden carvings of gargoyles and dragons decorating the mouths of the caves as if they had once belonged to a cult, or were guardians protecting the caves in twos. They sat and stared through the suffocating snow, mounted on footstones. Only their regal heads prevailed through the lashing, building snow in solemn ignorance.

"Which one is it?" Shadow asked, pausing briefly as they stumbled down a slope and approached the old caves that were lined in icicles on the top lips of each one.

"I don't know…" The echidna hesitated, mind humming with urgency. "It's been a long time... and the snow makes it all look so… so different."

"Someone should have left us some signs." The dark hedgehog moaned tawdrily. "I say we pick one."

Knuckles stepped forward. "Shit…"

_What if every cave we go in is empty? What if they're all - just normal caves?_

"I'll try one." Shadow said, taking the initiative, "you go in the next one in the middle. If I find something, I'll come back and get you."

"…O-okay…"

Shadow didn't wait any longer, and duly separated to drift towards the cave on the left snuggled among the dry twigs of trees and raw berry bushes. Knuckles however, felt torn. Sonic didn't have any strength left. He was worried that even a step too heavy could bring about his demise.

The echidna started towards the middle of the caves, now dreading rather than hoping.

Upon entering the cave, a languid, clinging fear seized him, and he paused at the mouth of a dark winding cave that grew more sinister as its length travelled into the gloom. He didn't like this at all, but what was there to like? This was for Sonic. The whole journey and the purpose of the journey itself, had been for Sonic. He wasn't going to freeze up now. He couldn't. He had been here before. Why the hesitation? Why the stupid fear?

He took jagged steps forwards. His breath caught vilely in his throat. His eyes widened in the glowering, breeding darkness. It took him away from the morbid snow outside. From the glazing ice, and choking cold.

Yet the cloying, tasteless black abyss of the sunken cave did not last. It lifted, as if an angel some way up ahead had lifted her brilliant wings and set the caves walls aglow.

Spinal cracks, small and chastened, adorned the ceiling and craggy walls with silver slithers, much like the glow worms back where rats feasted and worshipped tree roots and mud. But here it was ethereal. Beauty unbound. Something only a dreamer could imagine. The glows led him further, masking a way towards the deeper parts. Had anyone ever truly been here? Were the tales true? Or sadly dramatized and woven with sinful lies?

Knuckles held Sonic close, feeling his dying warmth and light weight. "Please be the right one… please be the cave we've been striving for…" Though many were like this, only one contained the healing pools. The others were dry, empty caves of dead ends. "Please be the right one…"

His words bounced cruelly off the walls and they sang in dank murmurs and shivery flutters. He smelt water ahead. That was what he wanted. Could he be scenting the healing waters of legend? Or normal shallow pools that had collected underground after the rain had fallen through cracks in the earth?

Bravery kept him going. And he spoke to himself, as Sonic nor anybody else could speak for him. He was alone now. Alone and very weary.

His footfalls pounded in his ears. He had walked a whole breadth, more. The salty tang of water became stronger still. The echidna could feel it in the air, cool and steady. Soon he saw watery reflections cast over the cave walls like rattled ghost paintings. Watery gray, green and blue, whispering along cavernous gun-steel rock.

He turned a corner. The cave turned to his right and he followed its only passage. Then he came to the end of the cave, and into a very large, spacious chamber which seemed as large as Knothole itself. The ceiling had sprouted upward so that its belly was hard to discern in such dim flickery light. The walls had expanded out into a dome, and dotted over the ground was the brilliant azure glow of water. Pools and pools of azure water!

"By the seven stars of Jehahribrah!" He sung in excitement. Knuckles stepped through, looking in wonder and relief. He had done it. They had done it. Shadow may not have chanced upon the same thing, and was either checking others, or was on his way back.

He knew what he had to do.

Gently, the echidna knelt down, Sonic soft and limp on his lap and in his arms. He stripped him of his blankets and shuffled nearer to the edge of one of the glistening pools. He scooped his paw into the iridescent water and trickled a little of it into Sonic's mouth. Getting him to swallow when he was unconscious was always a difficult job, and not something he relished. He was worried that he'd choke him and he didn't have the knack that Shadow seemed to have. But Sonic reflexively swallowed timidly and just to make sure plenty of this opalescent water was applied, Knuckles soothed it over his feverish cheeks and forehead. He assumed that all he had to do now, was wait. Maybe the water's magical touch would kick in and act like the miracle he had always hoped for? Sonic would open his eyes! And he would regain the strength he had lost.

Knuckles sat in a more comfortable position on the cave floor, and waited with thin patience. The salty air of the room breathed in and out as the wind beyond the eave of the cave cried and wailed. Yet within was nothing but the drip of water and a thousand echoes of lost times, swirling through the air like whispery tales.

Silver shadows moved on the surface of the walls, taken into motion by the azure waters. And after Knuckles had waited and waited, nothing happened and Sonic still remained the same. Knuckles pressed a paw against his heart to feel it falter and palpitate.

"What am I supposed to do?" He asked Sonic bitterly, the first tears beginning to form in his eyes. Maybe he wasn't doing it right. Maybe… "Okay, old pal, bear with me here…"

_Oh please let this work…_

Knuckles stood up, holding the fragile hedgehog close and stepped into the effulgent water that closed and rippled smoothly around his ankles. He waded in deeper, heading for the centre of this particular pool. When he was far enough in, the water rising to meet his thighs, he lowered Sonic gently down into it while still holding him, so that Sonic's body could be partly submerged. Thing was, the water wasn't exactly warm. It was barely tepid, and submerging an invalid into cool water wasn't a good idea.

A thousand problems seemed to surface out from a sticky black swamp of shit.

_What should I do if this doesn't work?_

_What if I've wasted Sonic's last few days of life when he could have spent it at home?_

_Will he live long enough if we take him to Yaun Fort?_

_I should have known this was going to happen. Why did I insist on coming here?_

_Sally… Sally was right. I have doomed him._

Knuckles shut his eyes against the pain of it all. "I'm so sorry Sonic… so sorry…"

_I… I… I've failed you…_

Voices filled his head. He looked back on the memories and they seemed sweeter back then. And so far away.

'_There's a healing pool in the caves! Legend says that it was named panacea by the tribes who lived there hundreds of years ago. They used it to cure illnesses. Cancers. Mortal wounds. Then they died out or moved on, and the pool became forgotten until now. If I take Sonic there, he will be well again!'_

The echidna made his way out of the pool, holding the wet hedgehog close.

'_I really do want to get to these caves, but as we've been travelling, do you think it'll heal me?'_

'_Yes. I believe it will. That's why you chose to go too, Sonic. Better than staying in Faux Forest and dying without a cure.'_

They should have stayed in Faux Forest. Now Sonic was going to die a hundred miles away with winter cooing just outside.

'_How can puddles of water be more apt than an emerald?'_

'_Huh, talking about water, the caves contain these pools that have the potent healing effect. Our ancestors at one stage used it frequently. We'll dip you into the water and you'll be as good as new.'_

'_You didn't say anything about that part…'_

'_Maybe the panacea pools will work, hedgehog. But if they don't, I have a better idea. A few miles up north from the Sentient Caves is a place called Yaun Fort. They have a hospital there. A big one. I can see it from the Ark. I'll take you there. You'll be all right.'_

Knuckles fell to his knees, hearing Sonic's breath shorten and feeling that tiny heart hitch and fumble like a little dim candle light ready to burn out. There was no more time left. The echidna bit his lip and started to cry.

"I've failed you…"

After working so hard. Braving the weather. Working as a team. Helping one another. Travelling such a distance. Only so that a sick hedgehog could die in a cave far from home.

"The legends are all a lie! There is no healing magic here!"

"_I'm afraid I may have to disagree with that." _Boomed a low, deep voice that seemed to fill the whole cave.

Knuckles spun round on his knees, too tired and broken to bother getting up and finding his feet. "Where are you? Show yourself! How dare you sneak up on me like that!" He growled, his upper lip shooting upward to boast his sharp set of canine teeth.

Something large and tall moved from out of the furtherest corner of the cave. Knuckles dryly swallowed. How long had it been watching him for? Did it follow him in? Or had it been in here all along? In his rush and agony to cure Sonic, he had not noticed this strange creature, not even its smell, here in the cave with him.

The creature stepped into the light made by the pools. Knuckles fell back when his eyes met its. It was a dragon.

It was enormous, with burly shoulders as it walked on all fours. Its leathery wings were folded tautly over the spines jutting out in its back. Its neck was like a granite tower with lavish prongs and spikes mounting the crown of its head. The gravity of it being here, in the same chamber made Knuckles freeze up. It made him forget what he was doing, made him forget why he was even here.

He was dead and he knew it. Dragons ate little animals when they could. In ancient Mobius history, dragons hunted animals and overlanders in all manner. That was until their prey hunted back until their numbers began to shrink. Now they were so few (thanks even more so by the overlanders), they hunted alone, in secret. And now it was considered rare to lay eyes upon one.

That was until now. Knuckles had stumbled into its lair no doubt.

The dark monster's fiery gold eyes peered out from its jagged spiky mask of a face. It grunted and a plume of smoke steamed out of its left nostril.

"_You are an echidna, are you not?"_

The dragon spoke, but Knuckles did not see its lips move. It stood tall and majestic like the statues resembling dragons outside. And it regarded him with maybe something akin to amnesty. Maybe not.

Knuckles doubled back slightly, and the movement caused his ankle to slip on a stone and he fell on his rear. He couldn't move very fast anyhow, what with Sonic in tow. At least they'd die together now. Two meals in one.

The dragon didn't take a step forward. If anything, he asked, or rather, thought out again like it was speaking directly to the echidna's mind; _"do not be afraid. I know what you are. And I know why you've come."_

Knuckles gulped, blinked, then gulped again. The dragon wasn't going to kill him? But why not? He was vulnerable. Defeated.

"Y-You do?" He asked it stupidly, mouth open. The floor at his feet was rugged and cold. Cold like the dragon's teeth that shone out below its upper lip. Cold like its golden eyes watching his every breath.

"_Yes. Many animals like you come in here some times, asking for panacea."_

"Yes - y-yes that's right… but aren't you going to… to eat me?" He squeaked, feeling vaguely embarrassed and humble. Never in his whole life had he ever imagined this day to be like this. To see the greatest creature ever to exist on Mobius. But sadly the humans seemed greater still, and cut their numbers, regardless of their furious beauty and divine ways. Now nothing ruled the skies but small, hapless birds.

"_Ha! I might have done -" _Admitted the dragon, whose top-most spikes adhering its head brushed the fringes of the ceiling, "_I haven't hunted since samhein. But echidnas are intelligent animals, the intelligent of all the ground-dwellers. If you were an Arbiter, you would have been killed long before you got here."_

This didn't really comfort the guardian, but he nodded all the same. His heart was still pounding, and his legs were shaking in fear. When was Shadow getting back? Or had stumbled into another dragon and had been eaten?

"Well, sorry for disturbing you…" Knuckles said quietly, submissively while he sat in its mammoth shadow that dominated the whole room, "but the reason I came was for the panacea pools. You know of it, right?" _You bloody mentioned it just now!_ He thought. "Is it true?"

The dragon nodded its gnarled head and Knuckles wondered just how old it was. Did dragons age the same way they did? Did they die after a time? Or were they truly as old and as immortal as the planet itself unless they were ruthlessly murdered by their enemies?

Dulcy was a small breed of dragon and was still young. Dragons matured fast and grew too. Dulcy was a junior. This dragon here was the real deal.

"_It's true, echidna. Though some of it you may have heard wrongly_." The dragon growled in its throat, "_the pools do not heal. It's nothing more than purified water that dragons drink from. We lay our eggs in water, and the egg shells turn the water into pure liquid, so that when our young hatch, they drink the water that is boasted with minerals that aid their growth_." The dragon paused and his teal claws rapped on the cold ground. "_My name however, is Panacea. And I can heal_."

* * *

><p><strong>Dib07:<strong> Thanks for reading!

Obvious outcome? Not so fast! Dragons don't do this for free! So it isn't over yet!

Please leave some feedback if you like! I shall reply every time! So long as my job doesn't get too overbearing for me! XD


	17. Chapter 17 Deus ex machina

**DanceDream:** No! I don't want a new co-host for your reviews! Noooo! XD Clone him if you have to! XD I LOVE your reviews (you and dear Sonic)! I know I always say this but you see every little detail, you know the characters like the back of your hand and you are so absorbed into the plot that you may as well be in that cave with them! You worry about them so much and you are so emotionally attached. That is powerful. Reading a story like that is amazing. And I have been reading your comments, nodding to myself as I read them. Yes, it is going to take a miracle to help Sonic now! Your bad feeling though about this whole situation is with good reason and your instincts are bang on target. I won't say anything else, you and Sonic enjoy this chapter and see what exactly transpires! Lol and yeah, all I do is downgrade myself! XD I grew up thinking I wasn't worth anything, and my parents are a bit bitter on my talents so I just carry the not-good-enough label on me at all times. Ah well. Just habit on my part! XD But your support and how well Panacea has been accepted in general has allayed my stigma, and I am actually proud of my stories on FFN which is a rare feeling for me! So thank you! I love you and Sonic. See ya! ^_^ P.s your quotes are interesting and very uplifting!

**NewFears:** Wow! This really has got you thinking, hasn't it? I am chuffed! I can almost see your mind working away and my stories do tease readers, I have to admit! You seem very optimistic despite what could happen, and we are at the pinnacle here. The end of that long, steep cliff. Thank you for your thoughts! I am so happy that you are enjoying this despite all those cruel twists and turns! :) Haha, and yes I am evil! XD

**Storm337:** Hahaha! Awww thanks! You always winkle a smile out of me! Shadow's your top concern huh? Interesting. You may just love the sequel I have planned for Panacea, as it revolves around the Ultimate Life Form and his ultimate choice!

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><p><strong>Chapter 17: Deus ex machina<strong>

_What knowledge can perform, is diligent to learn;_

_Abides by this resolve, and stops not there,_

_But makes his moral being his prime care;_

_Who doomed to go in company with Pain,_

_And Fear, and Bloodshed, miserable train!_

_Turns his necessity to glorious gain;_

_In face of these doth exercise a power.'_

_Character of the Happy Warrior - Wordsworth_

_XXX_

"I was not expecting a dragon!" Knuckles was shaking his head, still trying to get to grips with everything. He felt queasy. Everything was surreal. Like a tangled, complicated nightmare of sorts. "The legends were a lie… a dragon… you're Panacea?" He wasn't sure if he should leave. The dismay was too much. The disappointment even more so.

"_Yes_."

Knuckles stood up straight, shifting Sonic's weight slightly and hearing him whimper out in his dreams. He was scarcely breathing and his weedy pulse was fading. His extremities such as his hands, feet and ears were ice cold.

"And… and there are no healing pools?"

"_No. But I am the one they come to. The animals. I _am_ Panacea. And I can heal that hakra you have in your arms. I know he's dying. We dragons can sense it. All reptiles can." _It's lean, massive tail lurched restlessly in the darkness like the body of the snake Sonic had rescued some days before. Knuckles couldn't help staring at it. _"I've grown used to animals bringing their loved ones here and hoping for a cure. Is that what you've come for?"_

For all the legends that Knuckles had heard… all the stories… not one included a dragon by the very name.

_He must have watched me foolishly dunk Sonic in the water, me hoping that he'd be healed in moments._

"What if I say yes?" Knuckles choked. This was not what he had imagined at all. And was hating it.

Panacea nodded.

The echidna frowned, not satisfied. The tale of a kind-hearted dragon healing everything it came across sounded innate. If he had told the truth, no one would believe him. Maybe… maybe that was why the legend of the 'healing pools' had come about, and not a twenty-foot reptile with bat wings.

"Why?" The guardian dared to ask on a whim, stepping forward and cuddling Sonic's warm body close, "dragons… hunt us! So why do you seemingly go out of your way to help your prey?"

Panacea smirked, its polished scales shining gloriously. The thick reptilian skin wrinkled around its robust muzzle. _"Not every dragon can heal, echidna. Some can. Some do. And some can but do not. But I am the _only_ one that can heal other creatures and not just dragons. I was born with it, and I didn't realize this until I saw a hare dying on the top of Uzluni hill in summer two summer's past. I was young back then, and foolish. The overlanders were out hunting, and they had just attacked this creature with guns. I couldn't do anything for it, but it was my pity that made me climb that hill and see its spite. I looked upon its eyes and saw its sadness. I understood it. And it was then I realized that we must band together. Animals and reptiles against the humans. So I started to heal others, in a bid to gain their trust."_

"Did it work?" Knuckles cut in.

"_No."_ Panacea dropped his smile. _"But we dragons shall live on, despite the feud. We are heavenly creatures, passed down to protect Mobius against evil. The gods above will never allow us to die out. And in the end we were right. Word has spread that Robotnik has fallen. We've won… and can start again."_

Knuckles spat out, tail bristling out like a bottlebrush, "that's not true! You dragons are not divine beasts sent by angels! You are like us! Mortal flesh and blood! And while you sat by, cowering in the shadows, hoping for divine punishment upon the wicked, Sonic comes along and does the job without you having to raise a claw!"

"_Sonic_?" The dragon bellowed in what could have been laughter. It made Knuckles flinch. "_Ah yes, I see it now. That is who you are holding._ _But we don't care much for ground-creatures such as yourself. So the overlanders are weaker now. That would have been so anyway. But now it's these Arbiters spawned from mammals, and our frustration turns on you and them. Why do you land mammals turn into thieves and murderers? Isn't that a man's job?"_

"That's why we've been fighting them!" Knuckles cursed, "we're not like them at all! They're fools, brainwashed by man! And who are you to judge?" He added, aware that he had just done so himself, "when…" Sonic began to cough in his arms and he stopped immediately. The hedgehog was gasping for breath in great rasping heaves. "Sonic, hold on!" He cried, forgetting about the beast observing him. But what was he holding on for?

The dragon stepped forward, and its scales rattled like chain mail. "_Your friend is inches from death so may I remind you of what can be done. I am a healer. A gift to help, no matter whose side they are on. But first, I must warn you. The process, though not painful in itself, is irreversible and it may also kill him. There are prices to pay too, for the Mark."_

Knuckles looked up, eyes drowning in tears that fell and plopped onto Sonic's pale face. "How do you mean?"

"_I know where he's hurting, and when I penetrate him, I could kill him. But at the same time, there may be a small chance I can save him. For this method is fraught with risks as I am no miracle worker in all sections. If it does work however, I leave a Mark. It's my Mark. And when someone receives the star of the dragon, whether they live or die if you should choose this, bad luck shall follow them. Some decide not to and would rather die at peace with themselves then live guided by misfortune. The cost of having the star renders their blood stream toxic at every full moon. It also makes them… infertile for future offspring. And there still is a price to pay. A life for a life."_

Knuckles looked back down at Sonic. Here was the chance after all to save him. It was a small one. And he would gladly accept it, because whether he liked it or not, Sonic was going to die in his arms either way. But there was still that one small chance. A life for a life…

"And he will feel no pain?"

"_None. Even when awake. Normally I'd allow the one who is about to be healed to speak, but he isn't going to wake. And therefore you are left with the task of deciding, echidna. Not him."_

Knuckles breathed in deep; bent low and rested his forehead against Sonic's and closed his eyes. He could feel Sonic's weak breaths on his face and he was so close to losing it all and crying uncontrollably.

This wasn't how a hero was supposed to die.

He remembered Sonic playing in the amber woods last fall after the war; the Victory, frolicking in flower patches and singing 'hey Dowa, no cows under the stars this low.' He had been healthy, strong and cheerful. It was almost funny and cruelly cynical how things can go so terribly wrong in such a short time.

"_Well, echidna? Make your choice. I am doing this because I pity you as I pitied the hare on that hill that day."_

_Make your choice._

Knuckles ignored the cave for a few moments. Ignored the dragon rapping his claws impatiently over the rocky ground and focused solely on the poorly hedgehog cradled gently in his arms.

"We've been through so much together, haven't we?" He chided to him, rubbing Sonic's nose with his, "and I don't want it to end. We've come all this way - and I don't want it to be for nothing. You've suffered so much, and been in too much pain." He slowly opened his eyes and willed Sonic to open his. But he never did. "You've got to trust me on this. Please forgive me… Sonic…" He turned back to the dragon who was forever watching him, and said with strong conviction, "do it. Do it before I change my mind."

Wordlessly, and dragging its heavy tail behind, Panacea drew up closer, its gold eyes glittery like the soppy azure pools that speckled the cave floor.

Then, like an arrow jetting out of hell, the dragon thrust the tip of its tail into the centre of Sonic's sternum like a spear. It sliced cleanly into flesh and bone, bringing up a froth of blood as the tip sunk that little bit deeper.

Knuckles watched grimly, hoping this was how it was supposed to look. Hoping this was how dragons healed their subjects and tried not to look at it as a form of homicide.

The dragon reacted no differently and remained with a set expression. Reptiles held hardly any facial changes anyway.

In the end, all Knuckles could do was turn away. The pain of watching it all was too great. Sonic was still in his arms, but he was still breathing. It was tender and raspy, but he was still breathing.

_I know where he's hurting, and when I penetrate him, I could kill him._

Tears flushed down his cheeks from his bright violet eyes. At least there had been a panacea after all, not some fake story made to enlighten kittens and children. It was a weird twist of things. A dragon that happily healed mammals? Would he heal men too if they asked politely? Or would it scream a torrent of hell-flame down upon them?

"_I didn't know my tail was able to do this until I submerged into a stream to cool it down on a hot day and saw that my tail made the water pure_." Panacea said lightly, as if he was not performing such horrors upon Sonic's chest as darker berry red dripped down his sides and arms, "_I suppose we don't realize our true gifts until we are wiser."_

Knuckles did not reply. His throat was clenched. His senses wrapped in a dark cocoon of shock.

Shadow ran in, yet the dragon paid him no heed.

"What the hell is going on?" He screamed, his voice piercing the languid mood of the cave, "what's that beast doing to Sonic?"

"Shadow - Shadow it's all right -" Knuckles barely choked out.

The hedgehog looked far from believing him. And why should he? The blue hero looked like he was being killed by a dragon. The blood on the floor grew into a small puddle, and some of it was seeping into the nearest azure pool, turning it muddy chocolate brown.

"Stop it!" Shadow hollered, coming forward, "what do you think you're doing?"

"It's okay! This is it! This is what we came for!"

Shadow halted nearer the dragon, utter horror blackening his face. His hands swooped into fists, wanting to _do _something. What he was watching was just too surreal. Too strange and abhorrent. What about the healing pools? What was this fucking beast doing here?

_Knuckles, answer me!_

But the echidna wasn't looking at him. He was regarding the floor at his feet and the growing wash of blood pooling gently into water. Water that was turning into a coppery hue that blossomed into swirly red patterns.

"This is Panacea…" Knuckles said reproachfully after a good long pause. "Panacea is the dragon. The dragon is Panacea."

Shadow tried to make sense of it all while glancing upon Sonic's blood and a tail deep within his chest like a wounding arrow. "What?"

"This is what we came for, Shadow. The stories were right. They were just not all there. Not every ending is what to be expected, is it?"

Shadow shook his head but was still much too horrified to begin to understand, and he didn't really want to either.

He swallowed, feeling his stomach clench in nausea. And just when he could see no more but felt compelled to watch, the dragon lifted its tail out of the blue hedgehog's sternum like the blade of an axe snapping itself free from a chunk of wood. Knuckles covered his paw over the wound that was now bubbling with blood.

"_It is done_." The dragon breathed. "_With my own energy, the draconia within him will now hide his condition away and make it sleep."_

"The blood!" Knuckles sobbed hysterically, "what about the blood?"

"_That - I cannot help -"_

Knuckles showed a little of his teeth, and concentrated on Sonic. Using the last strips of gauze in his bag he wrapped this round his chest, but scarlet fluid quickly soaked this up, rendering the bandages rather useless. "Shadow…" He croaked. The hedgehog responded by stepping over to him and kneeling so that their eyes were on the same level. "Take Sonic… and get him to his home."

"Knuckles…!"

"You've got to take him back… Take him home. Take him to Sally!" Gently he passed the blue hero into Shadow's reluctant arms as gently as he could. "I can't come with you."

"Why not? I can't do this on my own!" He said, fraught and confused. Had the echidna finally broken down and thrown away his sense and reason the same way Sonic had when he walked out the tent without wearing a coat?

"You must!" Knuckles' eyes were shimmering like big open pools of water, "you're fast. Almost as fast as Sonic if you want to be. You haven't used your proper speed because you've never needed to. I'm not that fast."

"But…"

"Go!" Knuckles shoved him away. If Sonic was dying, dying at his home was much better. And at least Sally might have a chance at saying goodbye. "Go damn you! I'll catch up! Just fucking _GO_!"

Shadow stood up and fled, heading towards the cave's exit. Sometimes he asked himself how he had managed to get himself into such a mess. He knew how to get back. That was the easy part..he hoped. But carrying a dying hedgehog was too much. Especially after growing fond of that certain hedgehog.

He couldn't argue. He could only do as he had been ordered. Maybe Knuckles was so hysterical and wrought with grief, that he simply didn't want to resign himself into seeing Sonic draw his final breath and never having the chance of reviving him ever again. The hedgehog had already been brought back twice. Third time lucky? Not for Sonic.

Now between him and home, was an euphoria of deadly snow, ice and supreme cold. After running a fair distance, he stopped, knelt down and ripped off his coat. He wrapped this around Sonic's thin, twitching body, and healed the chest wound and helped with the ribs with a touch of his hand. Thanks to their growing connection, Sonic's body accepted his touch at once, and the gaping wound was sealed. No more bleeding, but he couldn't heal all of the broken ribs. It was too much power to risk on such a weak hedgehog. So he set off again as fast as he could go without troubling Sonic too much.

Yeah, he could get there pretty fast. But could Sonic, legend of speed, keep up too?

XXX

Meanwhile, Knuckles sat frozen in the exact same position he had been in when he handed Sonic over to Shadow. He knelt, huddled on the spot beside a pool stained with blood. His paws and shoulders were covered in it. Sonic had lost too much…

The dragon whispered as if in some kind of consolation, "_you do well, echidna, to cherish someone who isn't even of the same species. I wish everyone was like that_."

"Thanks." Knuckles muttered, not really hearing the question. Not even hearing himself return it. He was numb. Powerless.

"_We dragons… don't see what you mammals do often enough. But that is because we are after all divine. Higher beings. We do not petty ourselves with meaningless wars. We do not fight over power and technology. We are the earth, the sky. The sun when it comes up, and the moon when it goes down. You are merely part of a food chain, and so you do your part_."

Knuckles grunted and some sharpness, some recollection of self-preservation glinted in his otherwise dull eyes. "I think that's ridiculous. Have you ever heard yourself lately? We are all equal. Overlanders thought themselves better, didn't they? So they foolishly torched anything considered 'vermin.' You are following the same path they took."

The dragon abated and fell silent for a time. Then it said dankly, "_I understand how upset you are, but I did all I could. Because I've seen what you've been through, I think I've learnt more from your kind and from mammals than a wiser dragon ever could. And I thank you for that. Maybe you are right and maybe dragons do need to rethink their ways. Mobius has been through some very dark times and maybe it still needs to get worse until we can all see the light. I'm sorry echidna, that things are the way they are_."

"I'm sorry too." Knuckles whispered under his breath. His body shuddered in sobs. "But now I must go."

The dragon turned his head whose spikes looked like barnacles and jaded rocks. "_Remember the star. The star never goes out. Even in a sky as black and as murky as twilight_. _If the little hakra lives, make sure he never exhausts himself. And the Mark shall always be."_

Knuckles nodded absently, thinking it to be a dragon's strange riddle or motto. "Yeah, yeah." He waved in a gesture of farewell, before leaving the cave and dipping his blood-soaked gloves into the snow to clean them.

Pity.

Such a misshapen thing.

Knuckles roamed his paws through the crimson snow.

Sonic must have gone through the same phrase. The same thought.

The giant snake that needed saving. And would surely die without divine intervention. Sonic, though sick and with no time to succor him, had lent a hand to another creature. A sinful creature.

The circle had come again. Mammal saving reptile.

Reptile saving mammal.

"Sonic, you always know what you are doing, even when the rest of us still doubt."

_The price. A life for a life. _"I'll die for him if I have to."

XXX

He was dreaming of Sally. At least… that was how it started before the rancid snow started falling again. He dreamed of invasive hands. A command telling him to stop. Why stop? He was tall, dark and powerful! He was unafraid… however there was something inside him. Something foreign. And it had to be removed.

In the rank snow, blood and dirt of an open world, he tried to drown this substance. Tried to purge it. It was a struggle. The dream edged into a hell bound nightmare. The more he tried to remove it, the more his whole being hurt and screamed. Someone had given him something. But it was poison and did not belong in his body.

"Stop it, Sonic! It's a part of you now! Don't fight it!"

He was hit… by Shadow maybe… and stars exploded here, there and everywhere. He was watching a carousel of drunken snakes, hedgehogs and dragons. And the cloud – the dark, nefarious stifling thing of nothingness groped him yet again. And he was able to close his eyes against the weeping snow.

He searched for comfort. There was none. And for infinity, he did not dream.

Slowly however, like a storm passing, the pertinacious cloud of writhing darkness weakened, and he was able to dream.

He thought he saw a lot of snow. So real it seemed that he felt like he could reach out and touch the snowflakes twirling around him. The sun glinted against his eyes and he rested against a fuzz of white fur. Sometimes he even thought he was moving through the white-capped plains, and hearing the ice crunch underfoot. He felt queasy throughout, and was often retching or losing control of his bowels. Hot fever… everywhere.

The cooing cold. The toil on his body. Too much.

It was all too much. He wanted to sleep forever. Forget this pain. Go somewhere safe and warm. And sleep.

He dreamed of Sally again. She was leaning down towards him. Blue eyes deep and soothing. She was stroking his face. He wanted to smile and tell her how much he loved her. But… she looked so sad. _Why Sal? Why are you crying?_

No power of speech worked his lips and the black cloud was back, snatching him away and smothering him in darkness. He waited, and as he dared to hope, the cloud thinned once more. He saw Shadow and he too looked despondent and shaken, as if he had just witnessed Maria's death all over again.

Something inside him still remained. It irked him. This element… this _thing_ wasn't a part of him. It didn't hurt him in anyway, or so he assumed. Yet still, it existed. Like the light from a magnifying glass on a blank wall. There, but couldn't be touched or felt.

Words drifted in and out. Soon he heard beeping. Endless. Uncut. As his mind grabbed it, tried to comprehend it, he very soon realized that it was the good old, accursed ECG. The thing he had come to loathe over time. It broadcasted what his weak heart was doing all the time. All the time…

He felt warmth… bed sheets. Something… or someone gripping his hand. His other hand protectively rested over his chest like it always did out of habit ever since he had obtained his condition. He assumed for the most part that he had to be dead… or was still dreaming. He had felt death coming to claim him after a long, tiresome battle. A battle he tried to fight against for too long… and could no longer. Death was a cold, numbing thing. It had touched his heart, and darkness came. Now, promising little thumps pulsed upon the palm of his hand. And it did not come from an inert, dead heart. Inert hearts… did not… could not… beat. Yet… each thump corresponded with the bleep of the ECG machine in perfect sync.

"Holy Dowa… he's waking!"

His floppy ears tried to swerve at the new noise. Sal? Was that… Sally?

Briefly he saw himself lying on a flat, frozen lake. Saw the overlander there. And then himself. Urging him to keep going... Remembering the cold, he shivered uncontrollably.

"Sonic…" That voice… "Hey, sweetie! I'm here! Easy!" A fingertip brushed his sore, blistered cheek, and he flinched momentarily. "You're going to be okay!"

"Brother?" Came someone else.

_Tails?_

Sonic wanted to see them. All of them and break out of his malefic dreams. Out of winter. And leave the lake behind. That terrible… terrible lake of death.

His eyes stuttered open. They felt as heavy as lead and for a moment he wanted to close them again and fall back into a coma. Some inner force however, some deep soul inside of him urged him on. Didn't let him slip.

His eyelids flickered, and he settled on a warm, happy face. The face of love. And home.

"There you are!" Sally teased softly, her fingers running up and down his cheek in placating motions. She was blurry to him. Everything was as if someone had doused his eyes with water.

Someone else… Shadow said from beside him; "Knuckles is on his way, princess. But it may take a day or so longer. He can't run as fast as me. Now… let me check on his star…"

Fingers went down to his bony chest and started to nudge his guarding hand away. Sonic squealed and went to move. Sally intervened. "No, don't touch him." He heard her tell Shadow. "He's obviously still very sensitive, and who can blame him? Besides, the ECG is all we need to make sure he's doing all right. He's okay. Leave him be."

A sigh coming from the tense elder. "All right." And then his voice, sharper and more directed, said. "I'm sorry, Sonic."

They were fading. All of them. Even sounds blurred into motions he could no longer understand or make sense of. He wanted to fight, stay with them a little longer. But then the tired lull of sleep clutched him tight, lustfully so. And he slept where pain could no longer follow him.


	18. Epilogue

**Dib07: **Well, here it is. The last chapter and thus ending Panacea. This will no doubt answer a few questions and maybe produce a few more, and this ending will probably not be what everyone is expecting. It wasn't what I was expecting either, if that is to be of any consolation. I thank you all for your support, your diligent comments, love and loyality. I would never have imagined the love recieved for this story, and here it is. I hope you all enjoy this last chapter and in doing so, you may yet thirst for more adventure, as do I.

**BurningHope:** Heh! I do love detail, I have to admit! Yeah, I've read a good few stories where not enough depth was written in the detail department and I like the nitty, gritty stuff too! So, you still uneasy about Sonic's fate? I would too, funnily enough! I am a cruel author, that much cannot be denied. So, we'll see what will become of him in the near future ;) And never give up about Robotnik's possible return! You never, ever know! Still, Sonic barely came out unscathed. So will a human stand more of a chance? ;) You and Sonic will have a lot to talk about come the sequel! I'm sure he wants to know where Eggy went too!

**DanceDream: **You stayed with me through the entire journey, practically hand in hand. Going through the pain, the hope, the renewal, the loss and the grief. Stories will always connect us, hence why they are so popular in culture and history the world over in any age. You enjoyed every page of my story and you always came back for more! Sonic made it home after all that pain and tears. Barely a week he spent in that hell of a winter, yet it feels like years he was trapped in constant cold and torture. And here and now; it's supposed to be over. But for him, it can never be over. At least...not yet. Hhaha! Knuckles talking too long to Panacea! Those two need a coffee break together! Then Sonic can take care of things himself! Honestly Sonic, they're all too slow! But wait, Sonic's the slow one too! Hmmm, yes the price for that Mark is expensive, as you will very soon see here, and in the future if you chose to read Star Breaker. It is a wondrous Mark, I admit it. But not something carried lightly. Oh yes, I hate cliche too! XD I avoid it whenever possible! Unless of course there is a romance scene involved! Then maybe I can relax! LOL and your comment about Panacea's doctor abilities! You made me laugh, honest! Pssh, yeah. Dragons. Never did feel much for mammals, truth be told. One creature's pain is another's gain. But yeah, let's see where Panacea's Mark leads! I am very proud of this story indeed! And OMG yes I passed the benchmark of 200 reviews! Never in my mind would I have realized how loved this story has become! I need to say again, thank you for everything. I know I wrote it and all, but without you; the reader, this story wouldn't even have been on here! So thanks for your amazing, up-lifting words and the strength you gave me. Thank you, DanceDream for being here. And for being my friend. ^_^

**Epilogue**

_'I struggle with the feeling that this life isn't mine.'_

_Mylo Xyloto – Cold Play_

Sally wrapped him back up in his blankets, the pyjamas locking away heat even more so, keeping his temperature stable. Stroking his limp, crooked ear, she sat back and reminisced while Shadow got up to procure some more medicine and a damp cloth to rest over Sonic's feverish forehead.

Prostrated, the princess picked up the book again and flipped to the chapter titled; Dehydration. Shadow came back with a tray of medicine bottles and a fresh hot water bottle. Putting the tray down, he deftly slipped the hot water bottle under the sheets and rested it close to his chest.

"It's no use reading that book again, princess. We already know that he is more susceptible because of his smaller body weight and higher turnover of water and electrolytes. That is why we're doing this slowly and frequently. It is better to have frequent, small amounts of fluid, say using a teaspoon or a dropper, rather than trying to force large amounts of fluid at one time. Drinking too much can bring on vomiting and we don't want that."

"I wish Knuckles was here."

"He's doing all he can to get here. Besides, I don't think he'd be able to do much either. He may be a doctor, but he isn't a miracle-worker."

"Yes he is. Take that star for instance. That's a miracle if ever I saw one. Anyway, I'm off to catch some kip."

"Thank you, Shadow. For everything."

Shadow smiled gently, a sweet, sincere expression brushing across his lips and eyes before he turned in for the night.

There was a knock at the door. Sally almost ran to answer it, hoping it to be the red echidna. The redeemer. The guardian. But when she unlocked the door and opened it, she had to bite her lip hard to keep himself from whimpering in sorrow. It was only Tails.

"Hi, Auntie Sally. Can I see him again? Please? I had to rush out and make him these get-well flowers! He will love them!" He had his arms crossed at his back holding a bunch of freshly picked wild flowers. The princess had been ready to reject all who came. Sonic was on the brink, and she only trusted those who she knew were careful and gentle. But Tails…

"Okay, sweetie. Come on in."

The kitson followed her, bunch of flowers clasped tightly in his hands. The stench of medicinal smells was an actual welcome to his senses. Medicine always meant Sonic, and he had learned to associate with this every time.

Sure enough he was cocooned in blankets, a damp cloth resting on his forehead, eyes shut tight in blissful sleep.

Dropping the flowers to one side, Tails sat beside him. "Sonic, I'm here. I love you." As expected, the little hedgehog did not wake. He was fast asleep.

"Tails, look at this. It's what saved him." Sally parted the blankets just enough to reveal the star in the middle of his sternum when she gently lifted his garment top. Sure enough a bright, gossamer star shone earnestly in the dim room like a beacon. Or a true star plucked from the dark skies above.

Tails looked up at Sally in confusion, "can I… touch it?"

"Go ahead! But don't you dare when he's awake. He seems to hate being touched anywhere on the chest now. I'm not sure why." She said with a sad smile.

With tentative fingers, Tails brushed the mark with the lightest of touches, thinking that he'd feel a burning; hot sensation or something similar, like an electrical shock. But it was nothing of the sort. Though his fingers could cover its heavenly light, there was nothing to feel except Sonic's own warm flesh and fur. "That's weird…" The kitson said, head cocked, "it's like it's not there. But I can see it."

"That might be because the real magic is inside him." Sally said, hugging the kitson close to her, "where it counts. But there's no scarring, no flesh wound. Only this."

"Has he woken much?"

Sally nodded confidently. "Yes he has. And he's been very coherent and not terribly confused at all. Me and Shadow explained how he was brought back and why Knuckles is not here. Sonic did keep asking after him a lot. Shadow also explained that Sonic went dark briefly after the star was given to him. I believe it was a defensive reflex to purge the dragon blood inside of him. But Shadow stopped him in his tracks."

"Dark? I don't believe it! Sonic…doesn't do that!"

"That's what I thought, but since when was Shadow a liar? Although there is one strange thing that Sonic did last time he woke…"

"And what was that?" Tails asked.

"He ripped all the ECG wires and pads off him in… something akin to hate and anger but I wasn't sure. I didn't ask him why he did it, he should be allowed a little dignity…but it haunts me…"

XXX

On a wet, snowy evening a few days later, Knuckles came in through the door, tearful, hot and shivery. "Is he? Is he?" Icicles had formed up below his nose and ice caked his dreads. Sally came rushing over, stopping to briefly pick up a towel.

"By the fire, now! You're freezing! You've been travelling for days, right? Sit down at once!"

"No!" Knuckles almost thwarted her aside. "Tell me, is he dead?"

Sally smiled happily, fresh tears adorning her cheeks. She wrapped the towel around his shoulders and led him to the blazing hearth. "Warm yourself up, mainly your paws. He's alive, Knuckles. He's alive."

Perhaps because he had been held up all this time by not knowing – the very urge to find out – had kept Knuckles powering through the dangerous winter snows, all the way back without vital rest. Now the news had been spoken, and Knuckles collapsed by the fire, legs finally giving out from the relief of what he knew.

"Alive?"

"Yes." Sally sat beside him. "Let me do you some soup. You look frozen!"

"No. Have to see him." He shuffled away from the warming fire like an old animal, the already-melting ice dripping onto the floor in great splashes. He was tired yes, but still energized with motivation.

"Knuckles!" The princess warned, knowing that her words would fall on deaf ears. She paused to grab another towel and threw it on Knuckles' head. Even so, he didn't use it, and it fell to the floor in a great heap.

He stumbled into Sal's bedroom. Tails was there, sitting on a stool beside the bed. His ears were pricked forwards, nose taking in the decaying scent of melting snow and sloppy ice. "Knuckles?" He started unsurely as if he could not recognize him. "Is that you?"

"Who else do ya think it is?" However his eyes were only focused on Sonic as he staggered forwards.

Disturbed by the fresh, outdoor smells and loud voices, Sonic started to wake, eyelids flickering tiredly. Knuckles stood by the bedside, still unsure at what he was seeing. Almost defensively, Sally reached the echidna's side as if to stop him from doing something. "Knuckles, you really need to sit down and eat." She said.

By now the blue blur had fully woken, bleary eyes taking in the echidna's robust, red profile. "Red? Am I dreaming a-again?"

Knuckles stood, snorting and huffing as if for a haggard moment he could not recognize the little hedgehog wrapped up in blankets before him. Sally was tempted to lean towards him and drag the echidna away as if he had become a hungry, dangerous lion.

Finally Knuckles broke from his spell of confused paralysis and scooped his icy arms around the small, recovering invalid. Sonic choked with surprise, breathing still shallow and weary. Being careful not to hurt him, Knuckles buried his face into his gentle warmth, sobbing.

"Red… it's okay. The nightmare is over." Sonic whispered, "It's all over now. You got me there. What you said was the truth all along. I'm here. I'm h-here! But…" He swallowed, "what happened to you? What happened to m-me? I was sure I… I died… The star… it frightens me…"

Knuckles gripped him tighter, not wanting to let go. What Sonic had just said didn't seem feasible. Why was he scared? He wasn't afraid of much, let alone something that saved what life he had left.

However, he rested Sonic back down in his nest of blankets and said; "It wasn't what I expected either, Blue. But…"

Sally interrupted him with clear, requesting eyes. "Knuckles, why are his ears still floppy? They're all bent and the color of his pelt hasn't improved either."

"Hmm." Knuckles pinched one of Sonic's ears gently with his fingers and tried arching it back up in its former up-right position. Upon release, the ear simply sagged back down into its original folded stance. "Well, I'm guessing it's going to be quite some time before they become rigid and stiff again. It's just a sign of dehydration and ill health. Same with the condition of his fur. The color should naturally recover over time once he gets a lot better. It is way too soon for his body to fully recover. It's going to take months, maybe even a year to recover at all from such severe heart trouble. So… can I see where Panacea charged you with his…magic?" He avoided the term 'tail.' He wasn't sure what Shadow had told them, but it was best to leave the gory details out of the way.

He went to get at his chest, and saw Sonic's hand groping his sternum with a very firm hand. The echidna carefully lifted it up, eyes dazzled by what lay underneath.

The star.

The echidna's face pooled with soft light.

"It's… it's beautiful…" He went to touch it; lose himself in its light when he realized he still had a job to do. "I want to know if it worked though. So I'm going to have a listen…"

"No." Sonic returned so brusquely and with reproach that at first Knuckles stood paralyzed to the spot as if his dear friend had just sworn profanity at his mother.

"Sonic?" The echidna touched on his nickname, his voice trembling slightly. "What's the matter?" When no immediate response came, he added gently, "does it hurt when I touch you?"

Glad that he was not going to be touched, the relief was plain on his face. "No. I just don't like it. So no more." He coughed. "No more of it. No more snow. No more white snakes. No more!"

"Sonic…" Knuckles started, but his words were gentle and loving, "I'm sorry. Really I am. I won't touch you again if you don't like it…"

He looked at Sonic's unreadable face. And the hedgehog said nothing. He was clearly angry. But that was okay. They had all been through too much over the last week. It had been a raw, living nightmare at every moment. Everything was filled with bloodless pain. And inside, Knuckles' soul had been drowning in his own anguished rain. It was clear the star was helping anyway without further examination. Sonic was awake, and speaking clearly, speech not slurred or weak. He was still greatly coughing, but the enormous fluid building in his lungs wouldn't go overnight.

"Where's Shadow?" The echidna asked in a feeble voice. He brushed one paw against his lips to find them bleeding again. The smear of ruby red left a streak across one fold of his dirty glove. He stared at it for longer than was normal, as if his eyes couldn't move from that one place.

Sally put a hand on his stiff shoulder and he jerked back into life. "Get some rest first, Knux. Shadow's fast asleep, and has been for over fourteen hours. He's just as exhausted, physically as well as mentally. He couldn't stop crying." She looked away for a moment; as if ashamed she had admitted this without Shadow's knowing. But then she smiled in quiet, happy rue. "We cried together. It helps. Gets it all out." Knuckles stared at her, a little morbidly shocked. Sally looked at him back, her timid smile decaying on her gossamer face. She became unsettled and worried. "What? What is it?"

His violet eyes, creamy with astonishment, looked from her, down to her belly and back again. It was only now through the shock of everything and the lethargy in his bones that he_ truly_ saw her. She was too skinny, and eyes somber and dark as if she had witnessed something tragic and gory. Her belly; holding life and a new future to be shared by now two parents, was too distended and flat… it didn't look normal. Almost as though someone had popped her belly with a pin and now it was deflating bit by bit. "Princess… either you've had the baby four months early, or you've…"

"Don't say it. Not here…"

But it was too late. His eyes welled up in shock. Even his cracked, bleeding lips opened in consternation. "Sally…you… the baby…it's gone, isn't it?"

Sonic looked up over his thick, cuddly blankets, floppy ears trying to lift to hear their voices. Sally rubbed her left arm up and down. Her once confident, direct blue eyes were now lost and shy. "It happened so...so fast. I couldn't say it before, I'm still too..." Upset was the right word, but it wasn't said. "It happened a few days ago. I was in bed almost all of that time, tired and confused." _I had a miscarriage_ was what her eyes said. _I'm sorry._

So late into the pregnancy? Sally had been healthy. Possibly so had the baby. It had been kicking inside of her as all babies should. She had spent her days in the warm cottage, supplied by warmth, company and food. And then…

Knuckles' head dropped. The dragon…

'_The cost of having the star renders their blood stream toxic at every full moon. It also makes them… infertile for future offspring. And there still is a price to pay. A life for a life.'_

Sonic had sat up and was breathing heavily. He wasn't looking at Tails, his partner or Knuckles. His adamant gaze was fixed on the patchwork quilt of his blankets in floating shock. Sally came to him and wrapped her arms around his bony profile. Tails obviously had already known. He sat curled on his chair and said and did nothing. The truth was like a dart through the body, and no amount of painkillers could mask the pain.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Sonic asked numbly at the patchwork quilt. Sally hugged him harder.

"It was so soon. I couldn't bring myself to say it. I'm so sorry, Son. Please, oh please forgive me."

It took a while for the kinks in Sonic's chain to bend and snap. For the longest time he sat in Sally's arms not speaking or moving. Knuckles stood, leaning against the wall for support, knowing exactly why this had transpired. And Shadow must have known. It explained the Ultimate Life Form's sorrow too.

"Sonic," Knuckles began, his voice low and cracked. Cracked and as bloody as his scarlet lips. "There's something I need to tell you."

"Can't it wait, Red?" Sonic asked it as gently as he could. In his eyes was fondness and warmth. Something the echidna had never seen before glimmering brightly in the hedgehog's eyes. It was the kind of look given only for family and loved ones. A look of cherishing devotion. Gone was the anger over the stethoscope.

Knuckles approached the bed and held Sonic's limp hand in his giant paw. "This is something both of you need to know." And he explained it there and then. The pools. The dragon that Shadow might not have explained. And more importantly, the star and the warning that followed it. As Knuckles explained, he tried to sound as distant as possible to prevent himself from caving in. Sonic listened attentively as he could, eyes floundering back to the patchwork quilt, gusty breathing much hastier. Once all was said and finished, terrible, deathly silence filled the room like heavy fog. Sonic leaned into Sally and for a time all that could be heard was his snuffled breathing. And then the tears came. Soft at first, like little hiccups. A few whimpering moans. And then the heavens inside him must have opened, for the tears filled those eyes and forever rolled down his pale cheeks. Knuckles clenched his eyes and turned away. He wasn't sure how to feel about any of this. He couldn't feel regret. Sonic was alive because of the sacrifice they had made. He couldn't have known what the caves would choose for them. Nobody could. And if that was what the dragon wanted, then that had to be so. Either that, or they would have let Sonic die in a tender winter for naught. The baby would be born yes, but…

Sally squeezed her mate tightly, feeling the taut wire of his bones in her loving hold. "Did you bury him?" Knuckles could just make out Sonic's words from the muffled gasps as he pressed his distraught face into the princess's warm fur.

"Yes. He's right outside, whenever you want to visit him."

Knuckles looked up at the ceiling, thinking only of worry and hurt. What if Sonic would hate them? Hate their efforts through the snow? Hate what they had created? Hate the journey and all the strife to win his life back? And hate all that was now and all that was to come? What if Sonic was happy to die in order for his baby to live?

What if this whole journey…had been a bad, ugly,_ ugly_ mistake?

"Red…" Knuckles stiffened at his name being called, the fur on the nape of his neck literally shooting upwards like he had just had an electric shock. He turned to see Sonic looking over at him. He managed a very limp, shy smile that came out crooked. His eyes were full of pain in the form of tears. "Come here…"

"W-Why?"

"Don't you know a group hug w-when you see one, bud?"

Knuckles smiled back. Yes, it was painful to smile he found. "Of course, little hog."

Tails joined in, and together they sat in the bed, embracing each other as though in crisis. And for a long time after, they didn't move from that bed. And Sonic cried himself to sleep.

XXX

In the close, cold evening, Knuckles tapped on the guest room door, unable to wait any longer. All were asleep. The joy of having Sonic back, coupled with the distress of losing their only child had about exhausted the occupants, and so the cottage was quiet and still. Unable to sleep like them, Knuckles wondered about like a restless poltergeist. Sonic was better than ever before, but he was still far too sick to walk or do much else. Fixing one problem did not automatically cure his lungs of fluid or help his failing kidneys. He needed time to recoup and he had lost a terrible amount of weight due to the journey. From the perspective of an outsider, Sonic looked as though he was dying.

"Come in." Came Shadow's no-nonsense voice from the other side of the door.

Knuckles opened it and entered. "You heard about the miscarriage?"

"You don't dance around the subject, do you?"

"I've always been direct. Comes with the breed."

"Hardy har har." He was sitting on his bed, polishing his hover shoes. He was bare foot and free of gloves. He looked smaller without his regalia, and far less formal. He still looked tired even after the rest offered by the basic guest room. It was a comfy bed, with all the little assortments of stay. A nightstand, a carpet, wardrobe. And in here Knuckles found, it was warm and dry. "Glad you returned all right. I was starting to worry a little, echidna."

"Well, here I am."

Shadow took a moment from the polishing of his shoes to afford a glance. "You okay? You look spooked."

"Did we really trek across valleys in winter to reach those caves? It feels like a dream now. A sordid nightmare."

"Yes. Yes, we really did, Knuckles. But we did it. We all did, just like I said we would. And I have an apology to make."

"Oh?"

"I thought those caves didn't exist. I'm sorry. I doubted you."

Knuckles shrugged. "There were times I thought they wouldn't work too. Trust me. Heart failure is a hard thing to fix."

"That's where you're wrong."

"Excuse me?"

Shadow went back to his boots and put a cloth to the pearly whites of the material. "He still has heart failure. Funny really. We went all that way. All that damned way. His unborn child, so late in development and ready to be born soon, was taken. But he still has the same damned thing we tried to save him from."

"What the fuck, Shadow?" Knuckles looked at him hard, realized the door was open still, and shut it lightly behind him.

Shadow continued polishing his shoes as if the matter was but common knowledge and didn't take a genius to figure out. "The star created by Panacea hides his impurity. It guards our Sonic from the pain and dupes his whole body. Like drugs would do. Somehow, the star has stopped Sonic's heart from deteriorating one second further. Almost as though it has stopped it in time. In suspended animation, yet the heart still beats. And Sonic isn't dead."

"Well, yeah. That's what we wanted. What's so bad about it?"

"The star is a prop. Nothing more. Whatever the dragon has done, it has put a spell on Sonic's heart, and that is all there is to it. A spell. So the spell makes him immune to his own collapsing circulation. It's his panacea."

"So… he still has it...after all the effort…"

"You sound angry."

"As I should be! We traded a life for a life right? But Sonic still isn't whole! He isn't cured as I thought he'd be! It's _not _a fair trade!"

Shadow smiled despite himself. "I think it's fair. Before he knew what we'd done, he couldn't stop hugging me. He's never been so affectionate."

"You heard my confession earlier?"

"Of course I did." Shadow put the polish and cloth away by throwing the pot and wedge of fabric under the bed. "But you shouldn't have sounded so guilty."

"We effectively killed his baby!"

"We traded. Think of it like that and only that."

"Then why are you smiling?"

Shadow nodded casually at him, his grin spreading that bit further. "Because me and Sonic are going to spend some time together tomorrow. I'm going to have to fight him over Tails. But I have a new purpose. Yes, I may be the new hero now. There's no way he's going to be ready to be independent and strong for a year. But I'll be his friend. That trip changed him. He's…more thoughtful. And so loving. He kissed me on the cheek when he woke a few hours after his first supper at home. I could get used to this."

Knuckles rolled his eyes, but a new smile crept into his weather-battered features. But then his smile waned. "I still feel bad."

"Why?"

"Because we did something we didn't realize we were doing. I would have sacrificed myself. But Sonic was going to have a baby. Something that runs around and grows and plays. But we destroyed it. And now we've made Sonic infertile. He can't have another. All for a little spell to mask his condition."

"That may be so, but we gave him time. Time to live. And he's very grateful for it; I can see it in his eyes. He'll get over the shock of losing his child…I think. And Sally wanted her partner, her hero back. We fulfilled her promise, did we not?"

Knuckles shrugged. "But… Spirit…"

"I know, echidna…I know. What's done is done and we cannot take it back. I think Sonic realizes this too, for what it's worth." He paused, eyes haunted and always hard to read. "I want to do some further tests on Sonic and found out what his star _is_," Shadow left the bed and approached the echidna bare foot, "but that can wait. We all can. As for you, you have a Master Emerald to gather."

"Yes, I had forgotten…" It came out filled with unintentional disappointment.

"Echidna, cheer up. I can't believe I am the one saying this. But…you did good. Real good."

"So did you. You shouted at me a lot of the time!" He said with a coy grin, "but we bloody made it."

Shadow opened out his hand for Knuckles to take. The red guardian did so and they shook hands firmly. "I'm going to have my hands full guarding Mobius now and keeping an eye on the blue cripple. You get Angel Island sorted. And… I'll try and get it out of him…"

"What out of him?" Knuckles was perplexed. The handshake stopped and the contact was broken.

"Why he left the tent the way he did that…that night. It may be a sensitive subject for him, or he may not even remember it. But I'll find out one way or the other. Look after yourself, Knux."

The echidna smiled again. "You two, Shadow. We've changed, haven't we? But it's not all bad?"

"No, it's not all bad. Farewell, Knuckles. Sonic will send you a postcard!"

They smiled. They laughed. But the darkness behind their expressions did not lift.

It was a part of them now.

The screams of winter would only hound them, and though they did not know it, much trouble was on the horizon. And there was no true, experienced hero to lift up that trouble into the light.

And so, the snow fell.

...

...

...

..

.

**The End**

**There is still much unanswered. What is the star? What becomes of Hex and Panacea? Is Shadow ready for his new role, and has Sonic truly accepted Spirit's death? The blue hedgehog can hide his feelings – a natural male tendency. He also develops new, strange and incapacitating phobias.**

**And without an heir, is Sally's rule truly without holes? **

**Is Robotnik really gone forever?**

**Find out in the following sequel: Star Breaker, which will be out next week. See you there!**

**RIP Spirit**


	19. Extras

**Dib07: **Just a bit of fun!

**Panacea interview:**

Interviewer: So, what are your thoughts on making and starring in Pancea?

Knuckles: What I think is really ironic, and well, let's just be honest here, I'm not even the main character, yet I had the biggest role I swear! I was like, talking constantly! I had a sore throat for the first month of filming, and was taken sick one day because of it. Lucky Sonic over here actually didn't get that many lines for the duration, even less as the story progressed! Yet he gets paid more than us because he still had the starring role!

Sonic: *laughing* starring role! Good one, Knux! Though a lot of what I got paid went into my final pension salary! Oh come on, you're just whining because you actually had to work rather than sitting next to a plastic emerald all day!

Knuckles: I'll have you know that emerald is real!

Interviewer: Shadow, any thoughts?

Shadow: I am particularly sensitive to the cold and had to wear thermals under my protective gear, because honestly, what we were given wasn't enough during the main set of winter. We had to walk through a real environment that was constantly changing. Sleeping in a tent wrecked my routine for a start and everything is frozen when you want to use the bathroom. There is nothing to wipe your ass on other than snow! And I got tired of the meals. I want to go home.

Interviewer: And you, Sonic, anything you would like to say?

Sonic: Well, it was actually kinda boring. I either lay in bed or sat in a cart, so my role was an easy one. However, I did like the attention! And I have a pretty star that's so shiny! Which means I won't be needing a torch anymore to see in the dark!

Interviewer: I see.

Sonic: The pasha we are gonna cook and eat. It's a common hedgehog ritual to eat the thing that carries us to safety. It is tradition! And anyway, the camera crew went down to the caves and your friend; Howard, decided to interview Panacea. How did that get on?

Interviewer: They all burnt to death.

Sonic: Oh.

Interviewer: We're about done for today. We better start packing and head back to Knothole 2 of whatever the fuck it's called.

Hex: What about me? I was never asked anything about my acting.

Interviewer: You were a tiny side character. Robotnik got more spotlight than you did. What makes you think the audience watching the DVD commentary are going to think when you come on screen?

Hex: Why you little bastard! *swallows the interviewer whole*

Robotnik: I really need a new job! Who else is going to hire me as the villain? Batman has his stock fully booked and so does Ben 10 and the Mario brothers!

Sonic: Just star as the main attraction in Desperate Housewives, Eggy! You'll be making billions in no time! And you'll be dominating Wisteria Lane, of course!


End file.
